Tales of the Spirit World: Fall of the Blue Spirit
by The Narrator
Summary: -PAINTED SPIRIT- FINALE. The Spirit of Wisdom, Wan Shi Tong, concludes the story of the Painted Lady and the Blue Spirit: with so many battles behind them, can they withstand the final test of judgment? AVATAR MYTHOLOGY AU.
1. Narrative: Of Gods, War and the Demon

**Important Author's Notes: **The "Blue Spirit" and the "Painted Lady" in Avatar are less actual characters than they are alter-egos assumed by Zuko and Katara respectively for _very_ different reasons. In the Avatar fandom, when a fanfic is referred to as "Blue Paint" or "Painted Spirit," it is assumed that the story will center on Zuko and Katara, where one or the other (or both) assumes their identities to further what most likely devolves into a romantic, alternate-reality plot.

This is not one of those fanfics.

Rather, this story tells the legend behind the alter-egos, the "real" Blue Spirit and Painted Lady from the Avatarverse's mythic past. I've taken the liberty of creating a universe predating the series by at least a thousand generations, where the World of Spirits and the World of Man have yet to split, Gods and Spirits rule, and the Avatar has yet to appear on the scene to mediate between them. It is a world torn by war, where Koh the Face-stealer manipulates the prides and ambitions of Gods from the shadows. Key to his plots are his children, the Demons, who are slave soldiers to the Gods. Of these, the Blue Spirit, Yǎn-sui, emerges as the most powerful.

Yǎn-sui is the Hero of the "legend," and the Painted Lady when she does arrive on the scene, is crucial to his development as such.

This particular legend is rooted in the Fire Nation, although several interludes will refer to the mythology of other nations, specifically the Water Tribe and the Air Nomads. Chapters marked "Narrative" will be phrased in a somewhat anachronistic style to establish the story as myth. Other chapters, written in modern, novel form, should be seen as "the story behind the story," what actually happened all those years ago when Demons were real and Gods and Spirits ruled a world that had yet to pass into the hands of Man.

Please enjoy the tale.

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_**Tales of the Spirit Age: Fall of the Blue Spirit**_

Part I: **Of Gods, War, and the Demon General**

"In ages past, the Gods and Spirits and Demons of the World Beyond once lived among Men. In that time, our world was a dark and dangerous place, for the Great War raged between Agni, the glorious King of Heavens Fire, and his eternal enemy, Tui, the fell Lord of the Seas. Between these two and their kingdoms, there could be no peace. No God nor Spirit nor Demon could live and not choose allegiance to one or the other.

"It came to pass that a great and terrible demon swore himself to the service of glorious Agni – Yǎn-sui, the Blue Spirit. His skin was the shade of darkest flame, his eyes the empty burning yellow of a spider-serpent's. His flowing mane was the blue-black of the starless midnight sky; his horns and brow and crest seemed of ivory, but were hard as forged steel. He rose quickly through the ranks of glorious Agni's armies, having never been defeated in battle. Gods, spirits and demons alike fell beneath his twin dao, the Tiào-fěi, whose dark origins were only rumor and speculation – yet they were unbreakable, able to cleave the very Earth.

"Yǎn-sui was truly a warrior beyond measure, incorruptible as brightest flame, feared by enemies and allies alike, and loyal beyond compare to his lord and master.

"Fell Tui, meanwhile, grew to learn of Yǎn-sui and his merciless Tiào-fěi, and fear took root in his dark heart. He sought to eliminate the demon warrior who had claimed so many of his generals and soldiers. But try as he might, he could find not one from his ranks who was strong enough to defeat Yǎn-sui in combat, and so he despaired.

"Cunning Pī lì, Prince of the Western Fire Mount and a son of glorious Agni, envied and hated Yǎn-sui, regarding him as a rival for his father's attention. He had once gone so far as to challenge Yǎn-sui to a duel, only to be soundly defeated in view of the entire Heavenly court. Humiliated and dishonored, he dreamed of revenge, seeking the perfect opportunity to eliminate Yǎn-sui. In the meantime, he presented a façade of being Yǎn-sui's admirer and comrade.

"It came to pass that Pī lì, hearing rumor of Tui's mutual desire, approached the fell Lord in his own halls beneath the waves with an offer.

"'I can deliver you Yǎn-sui, to dispose of as you please,' he declared boldly, his voice echoing in the dripping cavern, "All I want are his Tiào-fěi.'

"'I have no interest in a paltry pair of demon swords,' fell Tui lied, already scheming on how to cheat them out from under his conspirator, for one did not simply allow god-killing blades to slip out of one's grasp.

"Together, they plotted Yǎn-sui's downfall – cunning Pī lì offered the plan, and Tui offered the necessary magic to carry it through. The trap set, Pī lì waited for the opportune moment to spring it…"


	2. Of Cunning Pi li and the Trap

_**Tales of the Spirit Age: Fall of the Blue Spirit**_

Part II: **Of Cunning Pī lì and the Trap**

* * *

"Prince Pī lì invited you to his place on the Western Fire Mount?" the red-skinned demon echoed, his rather stupid-looking face working into a grimace of wariness and disgust.

"Apparently, Huì, I am to be congratulated for defeating Yuma's army last week," Yǎn-sui replied, flicking the perfumed scroll onto the ground, sending it skittering across the polished goldstone tiles. He curled his lip as he sniffed at his claws, certain he would never get the stench of fire-lily out of them even if he soaked them in a sulfur bath for a month. "Blech."

"'Keep your hands on your horns when gods invite you to dinner,' boss," Huì cautioned, his beady amethyst eyes narrowing as he clapped a massive paw on his superior's shoulder. "No telling what that sniveling little bastard is up to."

An invitation from a god, no matter how minor or distasteful, was a good as summons to a demon.

"Hn, more likely, 'keep one hand on your stomach,'" Yǎn-sui amended sardonically, baring his fangs as he grinned. "His vapid face is enough to turn any gut."

"True enough!" Huì agreed, snorting wheezy laughter which rather befit his hog-monkey-like countenance. He sobered quickly. "You're not going alone, are you, boss?"

Yǎn-sui cocked his head. "I wouldn't have told you about it if you weren't the one I wanted watching my back. I'd like a paw free to use Tiào-fěi if I have to."

"And I'd like to have a hand free to snag one of those sexy serving girls Pī lì's place is so famous for!" Huì crowed, overjoyed at being selected for so high an honor. No other demon among Agni's ranks was so well-respected (or feared) as a warrior as Yǎn-sui, and the fact that he and Huì were longtime comrades was not something the lesser demon took for granted.

"Don't make me regret choosing you, Huì," Yǎn-sui said flatly.

"Yes, boss. Sorry, boss."

* * *

Despite Yǎn-sui's misgivings, Pī lì proved to be the perfect host. The god himself met them at the gates of his palace, rightly famed as the most beautiful under Heaven. Often a guest of glorious Agni, Yǎn-sui could pretend to be bored by the finery, but Huì, less fortunate, gaped openly: the sprawling complex was appointed with red-gold pillars on even the least outbuilding, roofed with amber and lacquered cinnabar; instead of walls, in most places thick curtains of perfumed russet silk allowed the passage of guests from one end of the main hall to the other unimpeded (these gave Yǎn-sui a headache with their overpowering odor, and he avoided them when he could). Priceless artifacts from the four corners of the world decorated the halls and rooms in a haphazard fashion, with an eye more toward impressing the beholder with the sheer cumulative value rather than from any sense of aesthetics.

The banquets Pī lì feted were rumored to be measured in days instead of hours, the courses by matter of artistry rather than mere exquisite taste. The rarity of the dishes could only be matched by their ostentatious presentation. When the dinner chime sang out over the vast estate, Yǎn-sui consigned himself to a long, tortuous ordeal.

Surreptitiously glancing about the dining hall, where silver-traced lanterns of stolen moonlight wafted about, Yǎn-sui gauged the other guests, marking them as lesser gods and spirits with whom he had never made acquaintance. _'All the better – I won't be expected to talk with them,' he thought, taking shelter in a secluded alcove, 'But that means I'll be reduced to Huì and Pī lì for dinner conversation.'_As dependable as Huì could be in battle, his casual conversation generally ran the gamut from the last female he had enjoyed to the next meal he was about to eat; although his sense of humor was greatly appreciated, Yǎn-sui knew for certain that it would only be disparaged as "typical demon lowness" in the present company.

However, the thought of having to converse with Pī lì for the entire night made the thought of spitting himself on Tiào-fěi's blades rather appealing…

"Hey, boss!"

Yǎn-sui started, along with most of the occupants of the dining hall, as Huì's greeting blared over the assembly as loudly as a battle horn's call. Yǎn-sui buried his face in his paw as Huì more or less strong-armed his way through the other guests, knocking a couple of them over as he barreled over to his superior's side, a tray of appetizers nestled in his grasp.

"I got you all of the good ones!" Huì announced, beaming as he presented the tray (which he had doubtless taken from some unlucky serving girl) with a flourishing bow, "Look, there's raw fox-deer fillets!"

"You did well, Huì," Yǎn-sui said ironically, one pointed ear pricked toward the grumblings of the other guests as he selected a choice cut of meat.

"Oh, ick, they're eating them with their _hands_!" one spirit, possibly a star, gasped in disgust.

Deliberately, Yǎn-sui saluted the offended spirit with a half-chewed bit of bloody meat, watching with delight as its overly-delicate pointed silver face turned snow white.

The space between the demons and the other guests widened suddenly, which left them to enjoy their appetizers in peace.

Another chime sounded, and the table, laden with exquisite dishes appeared in a roar of white and gold flames. Yǎn-sui sniffed; typical godly pomposity.

Pī lì materialized at the head of the table, his beauty outshining everything in the room as the sun overwhelms star and moonlight. His large gold eyes immediately alighted on Yǎn-sui. "Come, brave Yǎn-sui, come and sit by me – you are the guest of honor tonight!" he called out, his voice soaring like dulcet birdsong.

Everyone had already turned and were watching Yǎn-sui with varying degrees of censorious stares, so Yǎn-sui had no other choice but to grit his fangs, bow graciously, and proceed to where his host indicated. If any of the guests noticed how he gripped the hilts of Tiào-fěi as he did so, they considered it wise to keep such an observation to themselves.

Huì lumbered right behind Yǎn-sui, attempting to look dignified and detached, but only managing to appear rather sleepy and bemused.

"Won't you feel more comfortable if you allowed one of my servants to put that in your room?" Pī lì asked as Yǎn-sui drew up to his right, one paw on the back of the ebony-lacquered chair. He gestured at the Tiào-fěi.

"Your Highness is most gracious," Yǎn-sui replied, only just managing to mouth the proper words, "but I am not accustomed to surrendering my dao to anyone." Gods might look down on demons, calling them low, boorish, but Yǎn-sui could play their game.

"Of course – how rude of me to have forgotten," Pī lì fluttered. "Please, everyone, be seated. Let the festivities begin!"

As the night wore on, keeping a watchful eye on Huì, who (despite his earlier caution) seemed bent on gleefully devouring everything in reach, occupied most of Yǎn-sui's attention. At least he tried to have it that way, but their host seemed as determined to engage him in conversation as Huì was in single-handedly emptying Pī lì's stores of wine and fire whiskey.

"But if my father would only pay more attention to administering to what gains we've already made," Pī lì sighed dramatically. "We are better off consolidating our territories and gathering energy for a final massive strike against Tui, don't you agree?"

"I do, your Highness, but we must be on guard against surrendering the initiative to Tui – his generals will seize on a moment when we waver as an opportunity to strike, for they can do so in any direction, and fill any void. Such is the nature of the seas and storms," Yǎn-sui demurred.

"But Tui has no general of your caliber under him," flattered Pī lì with a dazzling smile. "Surely we can afford to rest easy on _that_front?"

Yǎn-sui was momentarily distracted by Huì as he made a grab at a particularly voluptuous serving girl, who squealed in protest, dropping the priceless translucent red jade carafe she carried. Yǎn-sui swooped out of his chair and deftly caught the heavy decanter, not spilling a drop of the syrupy golden liquor that sloshed against the sides. With a stern look at Huì, he pulled the frightened girl out of range of his friend's drunken pawing.

"On your way," he told her, releasing her immediately and resuming his seat.

"Sorry, boss," Huì slurred meekly, his broad ears drooping over his shoulders as his bulk seemed to wilt in on itself with shame.

"Well done!" Pī lì chortled, miming applause. The other guests, who had gone silent at the sound of the serving girl's outburst, took this as a sign to laugh and return to their interrupted conversations. "Not only are you a constant warrior, but you're a chivalrous protector of feminine beauty as well!" He winked at Yǎn-sui, almost leering, and Yǎn-sui briefly wondered if the god was as intoxicated as Huì and just hiding it better. "Or was it that she was just to your liking?"

Yǎn-sui dead-panned. _'He's not seriously suggesting…?'_

"**HAW**!" Huì barked with laughter, snorting fire whiskey through his snout. Yǎn-sui glared death at him, but the other demon was far too gone with drink and humor to notice. "Boss doesn't have a type!" Huì informed an all-too-interested Pī lì. "He's only happy when he's spitting some poor sod on his blades. He doesn't have _time_for females!" Huì seemed to find this immensely hilarious as he banged the table, rattling dishware and utensils, and guffawed.

"You are truly remarkable among demons, Yǎn-sui!" Pī lì declared, eyes shining from laughter he was too well-bred to voice. "Never let it be said that _anything_could deter the implacable Blue Spirit from the warrior's path!"

"Thank you, your Highness," Yǎn-sui ground out, all-too-aware that gutting Huì in presence of the dinner guests and their host would be the height of rudeness. "But any _true_warrior, god, spirit, or demon, is the same. Nothing exists outside of battle."

"Hm, I begin to understand you a little better," Pī lì drawled, a curious, fleeting smile quirking his lips. "But I must thank you for the service you rendered." He gestured to the exquisite jade artifact Yǎn-sui had deposited beside his plate and promptly forgot about. Yǎn-sui handed it over to his host and watched him gracefully pour three measures of the golden liquid into three matching tumblers that were little bigger than children's tea-cups. "I'm rather attached to this piece, but most importantly, I would not have been able to toast you properly tonight if it had been damaged!"

The fragrance of moon peaches and some indefinable pleasing scent momentarily overshadowed the ever-present aroma of fire-lilies. Yǎn-sui felt warmth wash over him like a ghostly sunbeam and his irritation suddenly faded, soothed away with a sluggish feeling of contentment.

_'What…?'_

"I noticed you didn't seem to enjoy the fire whiskey as much as your worthy friend; I think your taste is more… sophisticated," Pī lì simpered, and his obsequious voice was a pleasant humming in Yǎn-sui's ears. He proffered one of the tumblers at Yǎn-sui, who accepted it wordlessly as though compelled by some secret urging. Pī lì also gave one to Huì, who had become suddenly and strangely docile, his eyes nearly half-closed and a peaceful, soppy smile spreading across his face.

"This is an exotic liquor one of my agents discovered recently on an errand to the east," Pī lì gushed, taking a sip from his own cup, a blush immediately spreading across his cheeks. "It comes from a breed of moon peach trees that gives fruit only once every fifty years. It is called 'One Thousand Golden Joy.'"

The peach trees that grow in the sacred grotto of La beneath the waves in the palace of her lord Tui produce the finest fruit; these are the only fruit truly deserving of the name "moon peach." The liquor distilled from their flesh produces a sense of euphoria that leads to fantastic dreams in any being that consumes it. For demons, the potent drink is almost immediately and completely incapacitating, no matter their size or strength.

As he sniffed at the liquor, Yǎn-sui felt another wave of alien happiness wash over him; dulled instincts rallied sluggishly to weakly proclaim "Danger!" but were quickly subdued by Pī lì's reassuring voice.

"I propose a toast!" Pī lì declared, raising his glass and voice so that they carried over the dining hall, which immediately hushed.

If Yǎn-sui had been able, he would have sensed every eye in the place trained on him in a fashion that bordered on predatory as a hundred breaths were held in anticipation.

"To Yǎn-sui, the first among my glorious father's warriors!"

"I thank you…" Yǎn-sui managed, saluting Pī lì by raising his glass but not drinking as was only proper, still fighting the soporific effects the mere smell of the drink had on his keen demon senses.

Pī lì frowned, but quickly grasped the solution. "And to my glorious father, King of Heavens Fire, Agni the ever triumphant!"

Unable to refuse a tribute to his master, Yǎn-sui raised the tumbler to his lips and swallowed. The liquor slid like warm honey down his throat, spreading through his veins like consuming but gentle flames before a wind, until he could only feel a stifling pleasant heat. Golden fog drifted over his vision.

Somewhere, he felt rather than heard Huì topple from his seat, sprawling on the floor in deep stupor.

"It's… verrrrrry…" he slurred, realizing too late that something was not right. Enjoying this, this over-done farce of inane pleasantry, was false happiness, created by some enchantment – he only felt such bliss on the battlefield, only when every sense was keen, when wind-sound, blood-taste, and death-smell were sharp as the Tiào-fěi that felled his enemies.

_'Tiào-fěi…'_

Yǎn-sui fumbled for his dao's hilts as a drowning man clambers at straws, but the fog became denser, a torrent of disorder and numbness, and the world swirled down into darkness.

"About time," one of the "guests," having quietly sat at Pī lì's left through the whole charade, observed sourly as Yǎn-sui crumpled to the floor. The true storm-grey of his falsely amber eyes swirled into focus as he rose, dismissing the glamour his master had bestowed on him – a spindly tree dryad became a hulking turtle-whale god armed with a war-club hewn from dragon bone: Kujira, the general of Tui's Western Tsunami Army and the least of his Five Great Generals.

The others in the hall discarded their guises as they came forward: spirits of sea creatures and lesser storm demons, armed to the fangs, crowding forward to alternately gawp, mock, and stare at the two demon warriors who had fallen so neatly into Pī lì's trap.

"Can we get rid of the curtains now?" one of the demons complained, sweeping his claws at the dining hall's hangings. "My snout's been on fire all night!"

"Be glad we had them, or your stench would have been sniffed out in two heartbeats," Kujira snapped irritably, although the perfumed air was also giving him a headache. He had to admit, Pī lì had thought the trap through thoroughly, leaving no potential weakness in his prey unexploited.

"Cut off that one's head, and be quick about it," he ordered, pointing his war-club at the blissfully snoring Huì. Two storm demons obeyed immediately. Once the grisly deed was done, the larger held the slack-jawed head aloft by its gaudy, blood-stained orange mane, eliciting cheers and sniggering from his compatriots.

"Couldn't you have done that outside?" Pī lì huffed. "Now my servants will have to clean that mess out of the floorboards, and demon blood destroys rosewood!"

Kujira ignored him. "Cut off Yǎn-sui's horns, before he wakes and kills us all," he ordered his captain, a turtle-whale spirit.

The captain quickly unsheathed his sword and laid hold of Yǎn-sui's left horn, sawing at the base where it met the demon's blue-black mane.

"Why not just kill him now?" Pī lì wanted to know, starting to feel nervous. The death of Huì was a small matter: the demon was nothing. But this was _Yǎn-sui_, whom gods themselves feared.

Was it just his imagination, or did Yǎn-sui's stentorian breathing suddenly become shallower and faster?

Kujira rolled his eyes, having had just about enough of Pī lì's arrogant demands and posing. "The mighty Lord of the Seas demands satisfaction for his murdered subjects," he answered shortly. "What's taking so long?" he demanded of his underling.

"His horns," the captain replied bleakly, pointing at his damaged blade. "It won't cut!"

His general glared balefully at Yǎn-sui's unmoving body, seeing that his captain's blade had barely scored the surface of the horn. "Dammit!" he swore under his breath, thrusting his war-club into his hapless captain's hands before bending over Yǎn-sui.

"What are you – the Tiào-fěi are mine!" shrilled Pī lì indignantly as Kujira tore Tiào-fěi's scabbard from its belt around Yǎn-sui's waist.

"They're the only thing that can cut through his horns," Kujira snapped. _'It was never my lord's intention that some back-stabbing little coward like you would ever wield weapons capable of killing him.' _He gripped the hilts, sliding the matched dao from their scabbard…

A dark blue paw clamped around his wrist, claws scoring into thick grey-green hide and drawing blood. _'He's..!'_

The chamber reverberated with a roar as Yǎn-sui rose, his maw gaping cavernous as he howled his rage. Kujira struggled to shake free, but the smaller being was many times stronger in his fury. With his other paw, he wrenched his stolen dao free, and flung Kujira across the room as if he weighed little more than a down pillow.

The storm demons fled without a backward glance, and the rest of the spirit soldiers seemed ready to follow suit.

"Stand your ground!" Kujira's captain ordered, though his insides had turned to ice water as Yǎn-sui's head swung slowly in his direction. _'His eyes… they're not…!'_"General Kujira! He's still unconscious!" Yǎn-sui had struck out on base instinct, perhaps roused by a call from the Tiào-fěi themselves; mystical weapons that they were, they recognized only one master.

Kujira regained his footing, winded, but anger and wounded pride easily overcame the pain. With a bellow like the crash of waves in a typhoon, he barreled toward Yǎn-sui.

The demon side-stepped and rounded on his opponent, grabbing him by the edge of his shell and clambering up its polished surface toward Kujira's shoulders. With a bloodthirsty howl, he sank his fangs into the soft flesh of Kujira's thick neck, between his ear and jaw. Kujira tore him off, roaring in pain. Yǎn-sui landed in a crouch; spitting out the hunk of flesh he had torn from Kujira, he bared blue-stained fangs in a bestial snarl.

Through his agony, one hand clapped to the gaping wound to stem the flood of lifeblood, Kujira observed that the demon's eyes were still closed. _'He's still enthralled! How can he fight like this?' _ Yǎn-sui had not used the Tiào-fěi; rather he simply clung to the scabbard, fighting with his free paw and fangs. _'He's a little more than a mindless animal - if I can just…!'_

"General!" The captain rushed forward, throwing Kujira's war-club to the beleaguered general, shielding him from Yǎn-sui's headlong attack with his own body.

"No!" Kujira shouted as his subordinate was torn asunder as easily a scrap of paper. _"YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!"_ No order, even from his fell lord, could restrain Kujira's desire for vengeance. "**_DIE!_**/I" He swung his war-club with both hands, slamming the berserker in the left side of the head with such force that demon horn and dragon bone cracked.

Yǎn-sui landed heavily, sprawling across Huì's corpse. He rose once more, slowly, senseless, snarling like a beast at bay. He stumbled over Huì's head, a trophy discarded in favor of flight.

"Boss…"

Yǎn-sui froze, eyes slitting open.

"Boss…" Huì's voice worked through motionless jaws.

The demon fell to his knees, staring down at his friend's face, oblivious to all else.

"Boss…" Weak, fading, the voice of his loyal friend sounded once more: "Run."

Yǎn-sui raised his eyes, saw Kujira bearing down on him, to tear him apart with his bare hands, saw the multitude of other spirits closing in for the kill, saw that it was hopeless, that with one horn so damaged, to fight would be pointless suicide.

There was Pī lì's treachery to repay, after all.

Breathing an oath, Yǎn-sui swept up Huì's head, turned, tore through the tightening ring of sea-spirits and the curtain beyond, and galloped down the side of the mountain.

* * *

**A/N:** Creating Huí only to kill him is something I wish I'd not had to do. Creating Pī lì and setting him up as Yǎn-sui's foil, however, was somewhat fun, because he is such an unctuous, cunning bastard. :D


	3. Narrative: Of Yansui's Flight

_**Tales of the Spirit Age: Fall of the Blue Spirit**_

Part III. **Of Y****ǎ****n****-sui's Flight

* * *

**

"Yǎn-sui, betrayed, wounded, bearing naught but sheathed Tiào-fěi and his comrade's head, ran, fleet as the typhoon winds, with Tui's host in pursuit. Down the mountain, through the valley, to shores of the sea, Yǎn-sui ran, and upon the waves themselves, although the host of Tui could close the distance. Until upon land his feet once more touched, Tui's host gained, and yet Yǎn-sui did not falter.

"And so on it went, 'til dawn and the rising of Agni's eye turned the East to blood. Pursuers, unused to dry land and Agni's heat, flagged and dropped away, until only one remained: Kujira himself, indomitable in his desire for revenge. Yǎn-sui could only stay one stride ahead of the blood-seeking god until they reached the crest of a towering cliff where Yǎn-sui could run no more.

"At bay, Yǎn-sui turned, laying loyal Huí's head upon the ground. Only then did he unsheathe Tiào-fěi to give battle. God and demon flew at each other, wounding each other time and again until it seemed impossible that either should still stand. The din of their roars resounded with the force and clamor of the mightiest storms, causing the earth beneath their feet to tremble and the rocks themselves to crumble to dust.

"Kujira, by the brunt of his sheer size, pushed Yǎn-sui back to the cliff's edge.

"'For the life of my captain, I will deliver my lord's sentence upon you,' he swore, raising his war-club high.

"'For the life of my friend, Tiào-fěi will drink your lifeblood,' was Yǎn-sui's reply as he thrust Tiào-fěi to the hilts into Kujira's hearts, slaying him. Pushed beyond his limit, it was all he could do to pull Tiào-fěi free once more, only to have Kujira's corpse fall upon him, bearing him over the edge of the cliff to his death in the river far, far below.

"At least, into Death's embrace was what Yǎn-sui assumed he fell…"

* * *

**A/N: **I've realized (somewhat belatedly) that I kill off a rather unwarrented amount of minor characters in the opening chapters of this story. Please look forward to more(?)


	4. Of the Healer Jian and the Shrine

_**Tales of the Spirit Age: Fall of the Blue Spirit**_

Part IV. **Of the Healer ****Jiān**** and the Shrine of the River Goddess

* * *

**

Night. Rushing water. He was alive… barely. There was another… unknown. A threat?

A cool hand rested on fevered skin. Yǎn-sui breathed in, gathering the scent of the other. Water. Purity. Spiritual power. A god?

"Who…?"

The hand was withdrawn as someone gasped sharply in surprise. A voice came echoing through the darkness, far away, fading even as he struggled to answer. "Can you hear me?"

_'Yes… yes, I hear you…' _

_

* * *

_

Daylight now – or at least, grey light that worked its way through his veiled eyes. He lay on his back on a hard surface (wood?) – a warm something covered him, and the strange texture of unfamiliar clothing ran over his skin. The sound of water shushing and tumbling over rocks. Pain was there, in this waking – dull, distant, but growing, in his horn and right forearm. If he were to embrace unconsciousness once more, it would retreat…

_'No. If I feel, I'm alive… pain is living…' _

The other was there again, carrying with it the strong stench of water and divine power. "Are you awake now?" it asked, nearer now, but still too far to grasp.

"I… can hear… you…" Why did it take so much effort to breathe?

Darkness swirled up, and claimed him once more.

* * *

His body demanded food, waking him from fevered oblivion with its complaints that were sharper even than the pain in his horn and arm. The latter must be broken – he felt the ends of bone grinding against each other as he moved, in spite of the splint someone had tied around it.

The other was there, as he had come to expect (after how many times waking to sense it near?), yet he still could not open his eyes to see it.

"You must eat… you're weak enough already…"

The smell of warm bread and red bean paste - Yǎn-sui devoured the dumpling in one gulp, if only to have something in his stomach. "Bring me something that bleeds," he murmured, struggling to remain conscious. He leaned on his right arm, welcomed the pain and the awareness. "Blood… or don't bother – I'll die within the day."

The other moved away, and yet the divine presence did not fade. _'… Interesting…' _ Attempting to sit up would drain too much energy – Yǎn-sui kept himself awake by alternately prodding and twisting his broken arm, never enough to cause himself to faint, but enough to spike agony as a guard against encroaching darkness.

By the time the other returned, he had removed the splint in order to reach the right amount of pain.

The fresh corpse of a cabbit thudded on the boards in front of his nose as the other cried out shrilly: "What are you doing?! You've just undone five day's healing! Stop it!"

_'Five days…' _ Yǎn-sui thought, tearing sinew and cracking bone, gulping down fur and skin and meat and blood all at once, '_… five days…' _

Oblivion once more.

* * *

Falling water and cool grey twilight. The fever had abated and he could sense his surroundings with crystal clarity – an enclosed space, smelling of wood gone slightly to mold and old incense. A godly presence, as before, but no being – perhaps the divinity, like the water, had seeped into the wood itself, saturating it?

His right arm, as he fumbled for it with his left paw, was splinted so firmly that he could barely encourage the barely-mended broken ends of bone to move if he wanted to (he did not). The warm something from before he recognized now a blanket that covered the length of his body.

He opened his eyes, staring up at the expected wooden eaves of a high ceiling that even Huí could have stood under without stooping.

_'Huí...!' _ Yǎn-sui heaved upright, snarling at the pains that blossomed all over his body. Huí's head… he remembered leaving it on the ground in order to fight Kujira because otherwise he couldn't wield Tiào-fěi…

_'__**TIÀO-FĚI!**__' _

"Argh! Stop it!"

Yǎn-sui, halfway to his feet, nearly fell over as he whirled to locate the owner of the loud cry.

A flurry of flowing white cloth flew into view, and he caught a glimpse of backlit ebony hair and near-black sapphire eyes in a white face. A small hand, cool and pale as marble, steadied his left shoulder, betraying strength belied by its fragility.

"I don't care if you're a demon or not, if you think_ about_ moving an inch_,_ I'll tie you down!" The eyes were fierce, the voice strong, feminine; the scent, a puzzling mixture of sickly sweet human decay and pure water. "I brought more animals for you to eat, so don't complain!"

"Where is Tiào-fěi?" Yǎn-sui ground out, waiting for the world to stop swimming as he tried to focus on his assailant.

"Who's Tiào-fěi?" she asked, her hand still on his shoulder. A small pale-gold crescent in the middle of her forehead flashed dully in the low light.

_'One who claims the protection of La. Well, that explains the divinity and the water…' _"My dao," Yǎn-sui responded calmly, almost casually, "I seemed to have lost them when I fell off the… when I fell into the river."

She raised an eyebrow. "You mean, when you and that other warrior threw yourselves off that hundred-foot cliff into the water? I placed them on the altar," she said, releasing his shoulder in order to indicate a small alcove on the other side of the room. Tiào-fěi had been laid out on a low altar like an offering amid the old ends of incense sticks in their brazier. "Where - ?! I said, lie down and _stop moving, dammit!_"

_'She's strong for someone so frail-looking,' _Yǎn-sui huffed inwardly, _'Either that, or I'm worse off than I thought.' _ Keeping one eye on his dao (just within his reach, if it were not for the domineering harpy at his shoulder!), Yǎn-sui ventured, "Where am I? How long have I been… how long have you tended to me?"

She appeared to relax, although there was a definite calculating wariness in her gaze and her body was postured to immediately intercept any untoward movement on his part. Pulling the thick quilted blanket back over his lap, she said, "You are in the shrine dedicated to the goddess of the river, which you can hear flowing outside. You've been here little more than a week now – I've been healing you as much as I could in the meantime.

"My name is Jiān, by the way."

"What?" Yǎn-sui stopped examining the unfamiliar garb that clung to his frame (little more than a white under-robe at least two sizes too small, tied with a rough blue cloth sash) to look at her questioningly.

"My name," she replied airily, with a slightly sarcastic lilt amid the sweetness, "Normally, that's the _**first **_sort of thing one asks of a person who has been trying to keep them from dying."

"Well, then, _do_ forgive me. Thank you for your _generous _and tendercare, Lady Jiān," Yǎn-sui replied with irritatingly ingratiating politeness, baring his fangs at her in a fearsome grin.

Jiān apparently did not frighten easily, for she grinned right back. "And _your_ name?" she pressed with icy cordiality, smiling even more broadly.

Yǎn-sui did not quite know what to make of her. _'Maybe she is slightly touched? If she __**is**__ human, that might explain why she was selected to be the shrine keeper for the local divinity.'_ "Bì lán," he replied readily, not quite addled enough by injury and deprivation to give his true name to someone who was quite likely an enemy. He had already slipped by uttering the name of his infamous dao. _'If I'm lucky, she's been sheltered enough not to have heard of such things,'_ for it was the custom among humans to keep maidens who served gods isolated. Right?

He considered his situation. _'I'm not strong enough to fight even this little slip of a girl – the damage Kujira did to my horn must be severe if I haven't been able to heal this broken arm…'_ Gingerly, he reached up and ran one claw up and down the length of his horn. It was worse than he feared: the fissure began near the base and cleft the tip in two parts. _'I have… had… other wounds as well. Pī lì will pay for his treachery… How did I survive the fall from the cliff? Obviously, the river… which means that the goddess this chit serves saved me?'_ Yǎn-sui frowned, his head beginning to ache from the impossibility of his current state of affairs. _'But why? She said she's been healing me as well. The chit knows I was fighting Kujira, and she must know that I killed him. Which means that goddess knew. Which would either mean she didn't know who Kujira was… or she didn't care? Is it possible she is neutral in thi…?'_

"_**Are all demons this deaf?!?" **_

"Grah-!" Yǎn-sui yipped, clapping his paw over his ringing ear and glaring hellfire at the soon-to-be-deceased idiot who had _dared _to…

"I've been trying to tell you," Jiān said at a much more pleasant decibel as she proffered a limp cabbit corpse with a conciliatory grimace, "You really need to eat again, Bì lán. It will help me to heal you more quickly."

The growling in his stomach was much louder and more convincing than the grumbling protests of his wounded pride. Yǎn-sui took the cabbit with a slight nod. As hungry as he was, he could not chance there being some sort of poison or drug in the beast. Granted, there was not much point for her to take such a route seeing as she could lay him out so readily without such an advantage, but having been poisoned once before made him paranoid. He put the cabbit to one side. "If the sight of blood sickens you, you can leave," he said gravely, mindful of what he had heard of some human's sensitivity to blood.

Jiān cocked her head like a sparrow-keet, eyes wide and bemused. "You talk funny," she said at last, "Especially for a demon."

Yǎn-sui dead-panned. "And how many demons have you talked to to know this?" he asked. _'Touched. Definitely. Probably dropped on her head when she was a whelp.' _

"… a few. Not… _talked_, though," Jiān said quietly after a slight pause. Her suddenly distant eyes drifted from Yǎn-sui and her fingers tangled through a lock of her hair.

"Did they harm you?" Yǎn-sui asked immediately.

Fingers stilled, eyes sharpened. "Why does it matter to you?"

Yǎn-sui shrugged – or rather, twitched his shoulders, as shrugging made his back screech in agony. "It doesn't, really. But it makes me curious – if you _have _suffered at the hands of others like me, why bother keeping me alive? Is it because the goddess you serve demands it? Or do you have some naïve hope that not all demons are soulless, destructive monsters?"

He expected her to become offended, to cry and rail, to flee – that was what humans were supposed to do, after all.

"Bu-AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA~!!!" Jiān smothered her loud squawk of laughter at the sight of Yǎn-sui's shocked expression... momentarily. Giggling, eyes streaming with tears, she bit her knuckle, trying to rein in her mirth.

'_She's insane,'_ Yǎn-sui realized, unable to look away from the young woman as her whole body shook with her efforts, _'The goddess must be insane as well, to have someone like her for an attendant.' _

"You're what I thought you'd be," she finally managed to gasp, "Blue Spirit, I knew I'd done the right thing in keeping you!"

"… You knew who I was from the start," Yǎn-sui stated, suddenly feeling as though the world had decided to stand on its head, "Why did you let me…?"

"I had to know if you really were as cunning as the rumors say you are," Jiān replied eagerly, beaming a triumphant smile, "If you can think well enough in your state to toss off an alias so easily, you're truly in a class above most warriors. And I need someone like that to help me."

The world was now spinning again in addition to being upside-down. "'Help you'? You serve in the ranks of La, the mate of my master's worst enemy. Why in Agni's name would I help you?"

"Because you owe the river a life debt," Jiān replied bluntly, "I was told the Blue Spirit, even if he is a God-killer, is also an honorable warrior who would not shirk on such an obligation. Or were the stories wrong about you?"

"You shouldn't put much stock in rumors," Yǎn-sui told her tonelessly, "People tend to gossip, slander, and exaggerate."

"So, you're saying you _would_ run away?" she asked candidly, a worried frown furrowing her brow.

"Do you speak for the river goddess, the one who saved my life?" Yǎn-sui countered, although he knew he was doomed. At the very least, he would let this chit know he was not so easily "kept."

"I do," Jiān responded readily. In those two syllables, the bonds of inviolable Law descended on Yǎn-sui, heavy, invisible shackles that would not dissolve until the debt was paid.

The young woman let loose a bitten-off exclamation as she felt the bonds materialize, her eyes flying wide with surprise. "Wha-what just happened?!"

If it was an act, it was a good one. "You asked before," Yǎn-sui said heavily, scrutinizing her for some betrayal of cunning, "whether I would flee? A life debt is not something a demon _can_ run away from, even the Blue Spirit. You, and your goddess, hold my life in your hands – if you willed it, you could crush it out in an instant, no matter where I was, even if I stood in front of Agni himself in the Heavenly Court. So, there is no point in my running away."

"I… that…" Jiān flustered, a hand on her mouth. "No one is _that_ cruel!" she protested, "A life debt just means you owe the person who saved you a… a favor!"

Yǎn-sui cocked his head. _'If she is the goddess in some form of guise, then she is either very young or very foolish, or possibly more fiendishly clever than Pī lì himself.'_ Remembering Pī lì only made his newfound slavery all the more painful. _'Huí, I cannot avenge you just yet. I must resolve this debt. Or kill myself.' _ That option, of course, was almost too disgusting to contemplate, but it was a measure of cold comfort. _'No matter how long it takes to balance the till, I will serve – and then Pī lì is dead.' _ "What would you have me do, milady?" he asked neutrally.

Jiān's chin tilted up, her eyes suddenly hard. "You think I'm your enemy," she declared, her voice quavering only slightly, "I'm not. The river saved you because of expedience. If the other had killed you and lived instead, I would have laid the same bonds on him." Her voice became bitter. "This war means nothing to me; Tui, La, and Agni have all turned their faces from this land. All I care about are protecting its people from the bands of rogue demons that rove the valleys, murdering and laying to waste. You will do that for me, and the debt you owe will be paid. You need not betray your master."

"'People'?" Yǎn-sui echoed, "Humans, you mean."

"Yes," Jiān affirmed with a curt nod.

Yǎn-sui cocked his head and huffed a short breath of laughter. "You would waste a life debt on something so trivial? Or does your goddess not have any divine enemies worth killing?"

"No," Jiān replied stiffly, "Humans have put their faith in the river; their lives are precious and must be protected."

"Your goddess is weak if a band of demons, especially rogues, give her that much trouble," Yǎn-sui observed, "Very well. I will slay the pests and be on my way."

"Oh no, you don't! What part of 'stay put or I tie you down' didn't you understand?!" Jiān flared, almost knocking him flat merely by pushing against his shoulder as he rose, "You're of no use to me still banged up, so let me finish healing you!" She seemed more comfortable nagging him about his health than giving him orders as a newfound tool, which rather puzzled Yǎn-sui, accustomed as he was to the imperious airs of gods like Pī lì and Agni.

They regarded each other like players across a Pai-sho board, expectantly waiting for the other to betray his strategy. "You claim that you have been healing me," Yǎn-sui said at last, "I don't know the depth of your experience with demons, but we heal ourselves, with our own strength, or we perish. Even the gods find it difficult to heal a demon, if they were bothered to try it." He raised his broken arm in its splint. "Because of the crack in my horn, injuries that I could heal in two days have kept me unconscious for a week."

"If I hadn't healed you, you would still be unconscious, or dead," Jiān insisted, tilting her chin up, her eyes narrowing, "Every single one of your ribs were busted, and you had a concussion in addition to the crack in your horn!"

Yǎn-sui cocked his head at her, curling his lip to show a bit of fang.

"You don't believe me?" Her voice was the cutting cold of winter frost. "Fine. I can prove it." She turned and pulled on a small silver handle embedded flush with the highly polished boards of the floor. A small trapdoor opened, and the sound of rushing water became louder. "Part of the river flows beneath the shrine," she explained unnecessarily, "I've been using its water to heal you."

Demons as a rule regard humans as low, weak creatures, hardly better than animals (much in line with the views gods and spirits held of the demon race), and Yǎn-sui was no exception. However, he had heard tales of some individuals among them who, blessed with spiritual awareness that approached the levels of the higher races, could manipulate one of the four elements of nature at a time. Of these, those who could "bend" water were rumored to possess healing capabilities on par with those of the divine ranks of Tui and La.

But Yǎn-sui was not one to put much stock in tales.

"You're probably only familiar with gods of flame, wind, and earth," Jiān continued, making a graceful scooping motion with her right arm, "And if you've ever run into gods allied to Tui, you were probably only interested in killing them."

"A good guess," Yǎn-sui agreed, watching as a stream of crystal-clear water rose from the dark opening, becoming a slightly unsteady orb of glowing liquid encompassing Jiān's hand.

"The water allows me to tap into the flow of your chi and realign it to speed up the healing process your horns would normally take care of," Jiān explained as she returned to Yǎn-sui's side, "I can even align it with mine and reinforce the energies."

"Hmrph…" the demon grunted, suddenly feeling a strange prickling at the base of his spine that ran up to the nape of his neck as she gently took his splinted arm, resting his paw across her lap and his. _'I am almost certain she is human, but…'_

"Help me to untie the splints, but do it carefully so that…"

Yǎn-sui made short, precise work of the ties, simply cutting them in half with the razor sharpness of his claws. "Anything else?"

"Yes. Hold still and be quiet," Jiān ordered in clipped tones as she removed the now useless bits of wood and cloth.

"As milady asks, I obey," Yǎn-sui returned, finding odd enjoyment in the way her lips thinned and her eyes flashed momentary anger at his impudence. He held his breath as her tiny hand (it would have taken nearly two of her palms to span his), water swirling and glowing about it like some bizarre cocoon, settled on the heated blue skin. The water moved like a living thing to encircle the length of his forearm, and Yǎn-sui nearly jerked it away; only the determination not to show fear in front of a weaker being held him in place.

"Please try to breathe calmly," Jiān said in a distracted voice, her attention only for controlling the movement of the water and whatever magic that flowed in it, "If you panic, it upsets my concentration."

"I'm _not_ panicking, I'm…!" Yǎn-sui began to grumble, but stopped short, knowing his denial was a victory for her. Breathing out forcefully, Yǎn-sui tried to enter the state of meditation he usually adopted just before a battle.

The gloomy twilight of the shrine lightened as the sun rose, golden rays filtering through the latticed paper screen covering the sole, circular window behind Jiān. The rush of the river was the only sound besides their breathing, which melded into a singular resonance just the water swirled and aligned their chi.

Yǎn-sui could _feel_ the healing, the splinters of bones fusing together seamlessly, the tendons and ligaments reforming as once-torn muscle became whole again. It was painless, although it should not have been – demons slipped into states of unconsciousness when their bodies healed grievous wounds for the simple fact that awareness of the pain would kill them. He had never been so alert to the feel of his own body and the flow of his chi before. Even more disturbing, he could sense _her_, more intense than smell and taste and touch and hearing and sight combined. For a moment, she was a _part of him_…

"Stop."

Jiān startled, staring up at him, eyes wide. "What? But I can't! I'm almost done, I…!"

Yǎn-sui gently but firmly clamped his left hand around her wrist and disengaged it from his arm. "You have done enough, milady. It is healed."

Another staring contest ensued, but this time, Jiān broke the silence. "Fine. If you break it again, it's not my fault. I healed it, even if you doubted me."

"Yes, milady," he replied.

"And quite calling me that – my name is Jiān," she snapped.

"Yes, Lady Jiān."

She glared, and Yǎn-sui replied with a sunny (if fangy) grin, the picture of demonic innocence. "You're enjoying annoying me," she accused.

Yǎn-sui twitched his shoulders and winced – her last blow had not been all that gentle.

"And what do I call you?" she asked, "'Blue Spirit' is a title, not a real name. And surely your true name is not 'Bì lán.'"

"You can call me anything you want, L… Jiān," Yǎn-sui tossed off, picking up the cabbit (there was no point in trying to avoid poisoning now), "Slaves have no use for names."

Her jaw clenched. "Please," she said quietly, "Please tell me your name. Your real name."

He sliced open the cabbit's soft stomach with his claws, feeling no pain in his newly healed arm. She had done what she had promised. "My name is Yǎn-sui," he said.

"Yǎn-sui," she repeated, bowing her head so that the dark waves of her hair veiled the smile that softened her lips. "Thank you. I will leave you to your meal. If you _have_ to move around, don't break anything. Especially the altar, it's rather old and precious." She rose, white garments rustling like bird wings as she walked to the door.

"If you're polite to slaves, they'll think you're weak," Yǎn-sui said to her back, "You could have ordered me to tell you my name."

Jiān paused, one hand on the rough wood doorframe. "I know," she said lowly, sliding open the screen and walking through the bright white square of sunlight, vanishing without a backward glance.

The door slid to, leaving Yǎn-sui alone in the damp gloom.

* * *

**A/N: **Start feeling sorry for Yǎn-sui, folks...


	5. Narrative: Of Dark Whispers

_**Tales of the Spirit Age: Fall of the Blue Spirit**_

Part V. **Of Dark Whispers in Agni's Court

* * *

**

"In his shining halls upon the Western Mount, cunning Pī lì passed days and nights in fear of his life, aware that Yǎn-sui would thirst for vengeance after the manner of his kind. But when time passed and Yǎn-sui did not appear, he deduced that Yǎn-sui had indeed been killed, and his heart became lighter.

"However, fell Tui, knowing not where his general, Kujira, disappeared, sent a message in secret to cunning Pī lì, commanding that he hand over Yǎn-sui as they had agreed. The pall of dread descended on Pī lì once more, for now there was yet again doubt within him as to whether his most hated enemy was indeed no longer among the living.

"It came to pass that glorious Agni, growing anxious with the mysterious absence of his most valuable warrior, dispatched his censors to seek out Yǎn-sui. Aware that his father might discover his treachery, cunning Pī lì volunteered his service as leader of the inquisition, saying with dulcet deception, 'Yǎn-sui is my friend, and my heart grieves to consider that he might have abandoned his post.'

"The Heavenly Court rustled with whispers as to what might have happened to the Blue Spirit:

"'The Blue Spirit must have met his match in battle, for death is the only obstacle that would deny his answer to the summons of glorious Agni.'

"'What being exists in Heaven, Earth, or Ocean that can slay the Blue Spirit? No, something darker and more terrifying must be considered.'

"'Demons cannot be trusted – didst thou not heed the words of Prince Pī lì? Perhaps fell Tui has plied the Blue Spirit with honor and wealth to induce his treachery against glorious Agni.'

"'Prince Pī lì has dispatched censors to the four corners of the world to pursue him! And he is the Blue Spirit's friend – he must be aware of the darker nature of the Blue Spirit.'

"'Is it possible for a demon to defy his divine master?'

"'Dost thou not know the true nature of demons? They are the children of the Shadow King – their true allegiance is only to him.'

"Allusions to the dark god only made the rumors swirl faster, the tide of favor turning against the absent demon general…

"Cunning Pī lì listened to the dark murmurs with grim pleasure, his crafty mind weaving a new and deeper plot in which Yǎn-sui would be ensnared and eliminated, his place as the first among glorious Agni's host falling to none other than Pī lì…"

* * *

**A/N: **Ah-pah-lo-gees for those who had trouble with the archaic-styled stuff - I was trying to evoke Court Language (which in China and Japan constituted a separate dialect) and settled for pseudo-Shakespearean.


	6. Of Yǎnsui and Jiān: Second Impressions

_**Tales of the Spirit Age: Fall of the Blue Spirit**_

Part VI. **Of Y****ǎ****n-sui and Jiān: Second Impressions

* * *

**

He woke before dawn, restless and aching to move, tired of the stench of damp, divinity, and decay. Deciding to test the limits of Jiān's restrictions, Yǎn-sui immediately reclaimed Tiào-fěi from the altar. Shaking his head over his new master's lack of foresight, he left the shrine to survey the surrounding area.

The shrine was perched on a hillside overlooking a flickering green sea of bamboo that in some places lapped up against its very eaves. Fog was everywhere, walling him in with dank, heavy silence – the only indication that the sun had not abandoned this corner of the world was the lightening of the grey twilight and his own near-instinctive awareness of Agni's presence.

The river, little more than a stream, flowed down from further up the hill that loomed above the shrine to his right, its summit lost in shrouds of fog. The energetic flow of water passed under the raised platform the shrine had been built on, vanishing down the slope amid the trunks of bamboo to his left.

The shrine itself was small, a simple square structure built to provide a minimal shelter to the goddess who patronized the river. Inside, it little more than ten paces from window to door, twelve from altar to blank wall. The platform it rested upon extended an additional two paces in all four directions beyond the outer wall, whose plain boards had been lacquered against the persistent damp, but which were starting to warp from likely decades of exposure. The roof was shingled with reddish, fire-baked clay tiles laid in a wave pattern up to the steep, dual-pitched mount.

Yǎn-sui absorbed all this within seconds as he glided down the creaking steps onto the steady earth. He could smell Jiān and the divinity all around him, oppressive as the fog, but for some reason, he could not fix upon where the young woman was. There was no other structure in sight, but surely she must live nearby. Was it the damage to his horn or was it because her presence, like that of most humans, was overwhelmed by his own, not to mention the goddess she served? _'Or is it…?_

'_No matter,' _Yǎn-sui dismissed, following the path of the stream into the bamboo forest. He kept to the bank so as to take advantage of the clear path afforded by its banks. Tiào-fěi remained sheathed but at the ready in his left paw. His easy, ground-consuming lope slowed almost immediately to a series of short, scrabbling leaps down a suddenly near-vertical slope; here, the stream became a series of increasingly noisy cataracts, where trickles of water from other sources flowed in from either side to feed it. The bamboo grew at steep angles, trunks almost thickly around as proper trees.

Everywhere, fog drifted silver wraith-shapes that gave the impression of a moving prison he could not escape.

Yǎn-sui, spotting a patch of proper sunlight ahead where green gave way to pale gold, quickened his pace. Doubtless, Jiān would have scolded him for recklessness if she could see the way he flung himself down the last few algae-encrusted boulders.

He burst into the light, his flight finally arrested by the bonds that tied him to his new master. The stream, now a closer approximation to a river, flung itself over the edge of the cliff where he had been forced to come to rest, plunging into a churning cauldron of azure water and white foam about thirty feet below. Other streams and waterfalls fed into this pool, which opened up into the beginning of a mist-enshrouded river valley after yet another plunge over yet another cliff.

The mists were bleeding red and pink before him as Agni's eye climbed higher. _'The cliffs must continue on for a way beyond this,' _he guessed, glancing back over his shoulder at the way he had come, _'This is more a mountain than a hill… but I don't remember seeing any mountains, not for many miles, when I fought Kujira.' _ He frowned, digging the claws of his free paw into the rock. _'Where in the Abyss did that thrice-damned goddess drag me?' _

He sniffed the air, tasting the fog. The wind was from the north, to his back, smelling of forest and earth and stone and the divinity. No scent of the sea, no briny taint to indicate that minions of Tui lurked in the immediate area.

In this then, at least, Jiān had spoken the truth, and Yǎn-sui pondered her reasons for doing so. _'Have the gods truly abandoned this land?' _ He closed his eyes, willing his senses to expand further, to encompass the distances veiled by fog. He felt the damage to his horn acutely, not so much as pain, but in lacking; he should be able to hear the landing of a cat-owl on its hapless prey a mile away, smell its terror and death, and taste its blood on the wind.

Now he felt triply walled-in by the ever-present fog, dampened to weak, scrounging blindness from his wound, a gaping void in his awareness. He was winded, too, after a short run at far less than his top speed. Other abilities must now be beyond his reach as well… Snarling, Yǎn-sui drove his fist nearly up to his elbow into the rock, feeling the bite of pain with bitter pleasure. _'Pī lì has much__to answer for,'_ he swore, drawing Tiào-fěi.

Whirling on his feet, he leapt back up the slope, galloping pell-mell through bamboo and rock in a willfully destructive fury as Tiào-fěi slashed everything in his path to splinters.

As he neared the shrine, his dark humor was not improved to hear his new master calling out for him. He sheathed Tiào-fěi and moved closer to observe her, not quite ready to appear at her beck and call just yet.

"Yǎn-sui? Yǎn-sui!" Her voice became slightly shrill, as if she was truly afraid that he had taken to flight.

Hidden by the fog and the green shadows of the bamboo, Yǎn-sui allowed himself a sardonic smirk as Jiān's white form, brighter than the mists, burst forth from the shrine, wide skirt and trailing sleeves fluttering with agitation. Her face was obscured by the brim of a ridiculously wide hat hung with a translucent white veil, but Yǎn-sui could well imagine what her panicked expression might look like.

_'It's her own fault for not thinking to tell me to stay put,'_ he remarked to himself as the young woman made a circuit of the shrine, her bare feet tapping a loud staccato of anxiety on the boards, _'Better answer her before she thinks to summon me, though.' _

Weak as he was, he could still make use of the gloom to sneak up behind the oblivious young woman as she halted in her absurd pattering about to call his name again.

"Good morning, Jiān," he greeted, his salutation pitched to a low growl in her left ear.

"AI-YEEEEEEEEEEEEE~!!" Jiān shrieked most pleasingly, whirling and jumping away from him, nearly falling off the raised platform in the process. "Merciful La! Don't _do _that!" she snapped.

"Is that an order?" Yǎn-sui asked casually, mood slightly improved. He yawned hugely and scratched his neck, not the least intimidated by Jiān's frigid, angry glare. "Make it an order and I have no choice but to obey."

Jiān thinned her lips. "I would _prefer _you didn't sneak up on me… or hide in the mists..."

"I wasn't "hiding in" I was "_hidden by_" the fog. An important distinction."

"… or _hide in the mists_," she said, her voice tight with barely-controlled temper, "Think of it as a request. Or better yet, a warning: next time, you'll get a face-full of river water."

Yǎn-sui cocked his head, somewhat amused by her agitation and her spirited retort. "You're new at this whole "master-slave" thing, I see," he drawled mockingly.

"And you're new to this whole "invalids-need-to-stay-in-bed-or-get-tied-down" thing," she retorted, raising a scolding finger, "What are you doing out here? You're going to - !"

"… 'to'?" Yǎn-sui prompted after several beats, puzzled by Jiān's suddenly stricken expression.

The young woman's mouth opened and closed a few times, but no sound escaped. She seemed to be staring straight ahead at nothing. Yǎn-sui resisted the urge to wave his paw in front of her face, electing to wait patiently for her to stop acting like a stunned fish.

"Why are you… wha… _**put your clothes back on!"**_ Jiān sputtered, clapping a hand over her eyes, stabbing a trembling finger at his chest.

"What?" Yǎn-sui asked, genuinely mystified by her peculiar behavior. _'Obviously, crazy people are easily excited, especially if they're women. I should remember that.'_

_**"PUTYOURCLOTHESBACKON!!!"**_ she exclaimed loudly, her words running together as she clamped both hands firmly on her face.

"I'm wearing the clothes _you _provided," Yǎn-sui pointed out, offended, "If you can call this undersized bit of fabric "clothes."" He stabbed a claw at the robe still firmly tied about his waist, Tiào-fěi stuffed into the sturdy sash. He had shrugged out of the constricting sleeves before setting out, aware that it was rude to tear holes into garments Jiān had provided him, as she _was _his master.

"Just, _please …_" Jiān fairly moaned, eyes still shielded by her hands, "put them back on!"

Muttering to himself about pushy, insane females, Yǎn-sui thrust his arms into the sleeves. "Why should something like this matter to you – you had to take off my _other_ clothes in order to put me into this get-up," he pointed out.

"That's different," Jiān said, cautiously peeping at him through cracks in her fingers. She lowered her hands, coughed and straightened her hat, "I _had_ to do that in order to save your life – and they'd been shredded to rags anyway. You're just prancing around like a stark raving loon now."

"… I don't '_prance'_," Yǎn-sui growled, "And it's awfully rich that someone like _you _accuses _me_ of being a 'star-'…"

"Anyway," Jiān said loudly, turning down the steps, "since it seems you're feeling energetic this morning, why don't we go and see to your friend."

"My fr… Who are you talking about?" Yǎn-sui demanded, leaping down after her.

Jiān continued walking at a fair clip, following very much the same route Yǎn-sui had taken earlier that morning. "Your friend… Huí? You said his name a few times in your fever dreams. Something about not wanting his loyalty dishonored?" she said, leaping from boulder to boulder as lightly as a dragon-fly on the ripples of a pond, her garments flapping.

Yǎn-sui stumbled slightly as he gaped down at her. "What else did I talk about?" he asked before he could think to stop himself.

"There was a lot about a "Pī lì" – do you by any chance mean Prince Pī lì, one of Agni's sons?" she replied, halting momentarily to look back up at him, "I think Agni might not like it if you went around murdering his children."

He crouched until his face was level with hers. "I have sworn to kill Pī lì for his treachery," he growled, "It is because of him that Huí was slaughtered like a beast, it was because of _him_ that my horn was sundered, and it was because of_** him**_ that I must lower myself to servitude to a mere human servant of a river goddess! My lord Agni will understand."

Jiān raised an eyebrow. "I think you overestimate your lord's… generosity," she said, apparently not discomfited in the least by the hellfire glare Yǎn-sui was giving her. She turned away again. "I am sorry."

Yǎn-sui twitched his ears, certain he had heard incorrectly. "'Sorry'?"

She huddled her arms about her body. "Because I have bound you to a life debt, you cannot do justice for your friend. I thought, at the very least, I should help you to find him again and… do whatever you needed to… to say goodbye."

She bowed her head, her voice barely audible above the chattering of the water. "If I had known…"

"I would be bound to you in any case," Yǎn-sui snorted, bewildered. Such an odd girl, so temperamental. _'It must be a burden, being insane.' _ "All I want to do is take care of your vermin so I can be free of you."

Jiān was silent. It made Yǎn-sui nervous. He dropped down from the rock and stood beside her, glancing down out of the corner of his eye at the sliver of her profile her hat and veil afforded him. "Huí would appreciate that a woman thought of him," he said in a gruff undertone, "Although you don't have nearly enough meat on you to have interested him."

A low chuckle emanated from beneath the woven brim, sounding forced. "Your friend was… popular with the ladies?"

Yǎn-sui regarded the canopy of dripping emerald leaves above him. "In a manner of speaking – provided they weren't very bright," he said.

Jiān let loose a genuine peal of laughter, stifling it immediately with an unladylike snort. "I don't know who that's more horrible to: Huí, or the women!"

"Huí didn't seem to mind when I pointed it out to him," Yǎn-sui mused.

A white sleeve swatted his arm. "On behalf of females of all races, I declare the Blue Spirit a misogynistic hog-monkey!" Jiān announced, laughing once again.

_'Best to humor the master, especially if she isn't playing with a full set of tiles,'_ Yǎn-sui reflected, although he had to admit Jiān's laughter was pleasing to listen to, when compared to most demons and gods in his acquaintance: she laughed freely, and it was not overly-loud or mocking, no matter the appellation she had bestowed on him. "And what would that make you, Jiān, "she who strips the near-dead of their clothes and belongings"?" He leered. "Or do you only do that to unconscious males?"

"_For the last time, that was…! _ Oh, you're just making fun of me now," Jiān huffed, folding her arms, "Ha ha. Now let's go, we have a far way to travel today."

"Yes, milady," Yǎn-sui agreed, smirking, but Jiān was already moving away and did not dignify him with a response.

They walked on (or leapt to and fro in their descent) in silence that bordered on companionable. If Jiān had noticed the swath of destruction Yǎn-sui had carved into the mountainside, she made no remark about it. It unnerved Yǎn-sui slightly, because Jiān was an unnerving person and feeling more or less at ease striding along beside her ought to be an inherently wrong concept. There was still the niggling worm of doubt that she might not be what she seemed; thanks to the damage of his horn, his perceptions of spiritual auras was more than halved. _'There are other ways… but getting past her guard might be a problem if I'm right…' _

Presently, they reached the termination of the mountainside where Yǎn-sui had discovered the distance allowed by his bonds without Jiān's permission. The mists in the valley beyond the falls had cleared for the most part, revealing a wide, lushly green valley. The arms of the mountain descended steeply to either side of them, enclosing the churning pool at the foot of the falls and reducing themselves to a series of more or less shear cliffs that towered over the river for many miles. The river itself slithered to and fro across the vista like a shining, ever-thickening spider-snake to the vague horizon, where Yǎn-sui imagined he could spy the glimmer of sunlight on the waves of the sea.

"There's a flight of steps over here that will take us down," Jiān said over the clashing roar of water. She pointed down at a steep, narrow staircase carved out of the rock that traversed the cliff-face in a single line away from the falls to the shore of the cauldron. "Be careful, the ones at the top here are very slippery!"

"Might I suggest a better route?" Yǎn-sui offered courteously, sliding Tiào-fěi out of his belt.

Jiān paused, one foot already on the first step, giving him a puzzled look over her shoulder. "There really isn't any other way, unless you plan on going straight over the falls, but do whatever you wa-aaaAAAAAA_AAAAAAAAAA__**AAAAAAA – oof!!! **_"

Yǎn-sui landed in a perfect crouch on the outcropping he had spied two-thirds of the way down the cliff, Tiào-fěi in his left paw and his breathless master securely slung over his right shoulder. His legs absorbed the shock with nary a twinge of pain, speaking to a welcomed rate of return on his healing faculties.

'_Heh.' _

From there, it was a simple matter to jump over the roiling cauldron, alighting safely on the slender, rocky shore.

"There, that was a _lot_ quicker than any stairs, now wasn't it?" Yǎn-sui asked Jiān smugly.

A small fist thumped his shoulder-blade as Jiān spat out a mouthful of his mane. "Warn me next time, will you – I almost lost my hat!" she snarled, "And put me down!"

Yǎn-sui chuckled but did as she ordered. "You _did_ say, 'do whatever you want'," he reminded the young woman, whose hair and garments were in wild disarray.

Jiān narrowed her eyes at him, then, inexplicably, grinned hugely. "The next cliff is about three times as tall as this one, she said excitedly, "Think you can make it down in four jumps?"

* * *

"Will you _stop_ sulking?" Jiān said, sounding like a mother scolding her misbehaving toddler, "I _said_ I was sorry!"

Yǎn-sui glared at her, still rubbing his left ear tenderly. "I'm half deaf because of your blasted whooping and cackling," he growled, "That's why I said I _didn't_ want to carry you hog-monkey-back!"

"But if you hadn't, you wouldn't have been able to catch hold of that one ledge when your landing-spot collapsed on us," Jiān reminded him, "Now, come onto the boat, we're wasting daylight."

Yǎn-sui eyed the small craft Jiān stood on, perfectly balanced and at ease, doubtfully. The raft had been pulled up on the bank a few hundred feet down from where the second falls tumbled into the valley; at first he mistook it for a section of a wall of a house that had somehow washed upstream. That is, until Jiān cheerfully announced that it would bear them to their destination.

"No," he replied flatly, "That thing is ready to break apart in the water. That fact that it floats with you standing on it at all is a miracle."

"Yǎn-sui, it's perfectly fine – I've taken it over the rapids, for La's sake!" She stomped on the boards to demonstrate their soundness, making Yǎn-sui flinch.

"… 'rapids'?" Yǎn-sui echoed in a strained voice, "You plan on going over _rapids_ on that bit of planking?! You don't even have a pole to steer it!"

Jiān's lips quirked and her expression became downright mischievous. "Are you telling me that the Blue Spirit is afraid of a little white-water rafting?"

"No – I'm saying that the Blue Spirit wants to get to one piece on _dry land_ like a sane being!" Yǎn-sui argued. _'Hells, she had me talking in the third-person! I __**knew**__ insanity was contagious!' _

"Yǎn-sui. Get. On. The. Damned. Boat!"

"Is that an or…"

"Yes, _that's_ an order!"

"…"

* * *

**A/N: **Can't figure out if Yǎn-sui's fallen into a good or bad thing just yet? Don't worry, neither does he, no matter how much complaining he does...


	7. Narrative: Of Demon and Maiden

_**Tales of the Spirit Age: Fall of the Blue Spirit**_

Part VII. **Of Demon and Maiden: River Journey

* * *

  
**

"Demon and maiden drifted down the river. The maiden, with dancer's grace, guided the fragile-seeming craft skillfully through water calm and rough, manipulating the river so that nary a drop strayed over it.

"Their voyage was not long commenced ere Yǎn-sui, ever-watchful for the presence of the demons that his new master had demanded he destroy to dissolve the bonds of his debt, espied the signs of devastation that marked the passage of demons.

"'Upon that shore," he pronounced, "Where there are but skeletons of dwellings; demons have laid waste and spilt the blood of many."

"The maiden, tears of grief raining from her luminous eyes, told him perforce of the foul massacre wrought by those of his race not one moon's phase past, and how she, unaware until she had seen the smoke rising from the valley, had been unable to prevent it.

"Yǎn-sui listened to her sorrows in grim silence. The maiden, unnerved by anguish and dismay, moved them apace from the baleful sight, keening soft lament for the children with whom she had once played and laughed:

"'_Children, children of river belove'd!_

_Whither hast thou gone away, leaving me_

_Disconsolate, bereft, calling for thee?_

_Oh stolen lives, to river entrusted!_

_Now, dolorous stillness, benighted calm,_

_'pon yon sacred valley hath descended:_

_My heart's tranquil contentment hath ended._

_Empty waters with moonlit weepings thrum._

_Oh children, my children, I have failed thee!" _

"With the scene of desolation concealed by a bend in the river, Yǎn-sui again spoke: 'The demons have no fear of your goddess at all, then, if they would so boldly defile the waters with the blood of innocents.'

"The maiden, angered by this insult to her mistress, protested that the river sought not to take life, but to preserve and protect it.

"Realizing that she was herself an innocent and thus unaware of the nature of the warrior's way, Yǎn-sui answered his master's remonstration with care: 'The way of the healer is strange to me - I do not understand that you, who serves a goddess, would stoop to serve lesser beings who merit little more than prey. You would also take into your care a wounded warrior, an enemy _and_ a demon, in order to defend such worthless creatures against my kind.

"'The way of the healer is unfathomable – if you do indeed seek to protect the weak, you must be stronger than those who seek to harm them. If that requires the ability to take a life and you lack this ability, then you fail at being even a healer who supposedly protects life.'"

"The maiden lapsed into silence, pondering his words, until they reached the cliff upon which Yǎn-sui had fought and defeated Kujira…"

* * *

**A/N:** Yes, the poem is rather forced - I write prose, not poetry. *runs away from the vengeful shade of J.R.R. Tolkien*


	8. Of Yǎnsui and Jiān: Searching

_**Tales of the Spirit Age: Fall of the Blue Spirit**_

Part VIII. Of Yǎn-sui and Jiān: Searching

* * *

"Well… that's quite a climb," Jiān commented, craning her neck up and squinting against the noon-day sun to scan the crest of the craggy, dun-colored cliff that towered over them.

"It was quite a fall, as well," Yǎn-sui commented, although his answer did not come out as sharply as he intended. '_By the Abyss… that goddess was a good catch!' _Yǎn-sui marveled inwardly, '_Even without the crack in my horn, I could not have survived the fall from that height.' _

"Have fun with it!"

Yǎn-sui nearly suffered whiplash as he jerked his attention from the precipice to his master. "What?"

Jiān was already standing on the raft. "Try not to fall off the cliff going up or coming back down – you'll be harder to fix up, and I'd rather not have to go through that again," she explained cheerfully, "But take all the time you need."

"… You're not coming with me?" As soon as the words escaped his lips, Yǎn-sui felt like turning around and whacking his brow against the cliff-face several times. '_She just gave you the freedom to escape her lunacy, and you go and make it sound like you actually __**want**__ her along?!' _

Tilting her head in a birdlike gesture of bemusement, Jiān answered primly, "I don't want to intrude on your… respects. Your friend was a warrior as well, and since I _apparently _don't understand a warrior's way, it would not be proper for me to accompany you. Besides," here she let loose a rueful chuckle, "I know I weigh significantly more than a wind spirit – you had enough trouble taking me _down_ the other cliffs, I don't want to burden you any more than I have to."

"You don't weigh _that_ much – hardly more than a feather," Yǎn-sui rejoined, bristling at the slight to his physical prowess, "It's your shrieking that I couldn't bear." '_Why am I still trying to convince her to come with me?' _

Jiān laughed at his answer, and wafted the raft away from the bank. "Thank you for the compliment, but no – I think this is something best left between you and your friend! I have business to attend to in that village there," she extended her hand downstream, toward the middle of the broad river, to a human village that huddled on a sprawling near-derelict jumble of docks and platforms stilted above the deceptively calm surface, "I'll keep an eye out."

"I shall have to swim out there to meet up with you," Yǎn-sui pointed out. He was not fond of water on principle; the ride down the river, even with Jiān's expert handling, had been slow torture for him, certain as he was that the raft would disintegrate under his claws. It was undignified that he, Agni's great and feared demon general, had had to crouch at the feet of female like a paranoid cat!

"I'll know when to come for you," Jiān called in reply, having met up once more with the current, "Trust me!"

"… I have a bad feeling about this," Yǎn-sui muttered to himself.

* * *

The cliff was not only virtually sheer, it curved out slightly over the river, which made the last stretch of Yǎn-sui's climb particularly grueling. He was forced to claw his way up, paw-over-paw, at times hanging out over a vast, empty space with nothing but a single fist driven into a fissure of the rock-face to keep him from falling as he searched for the next pawhold.

'_It seems Jiān is sharper than she lets on – or perhaps this was a fluke of clarity.' _ Yǎn-sui tried to focus on something other than his new master: the many ways in which Pī lì would meet his fitting end, how he could possibly make his horn heal faster, how it seemed that the rogue demons Jiān had contracted him to eliminate seemed to be _herding_ the humans toward the river for whatever reason, or even where he was going to find suitable clothing (he had shrugged out of the too-small robe as soon as Jiān was too far away for him to hear her complaints), but wide, inquisitive cobalt eyes and easy laughter and her puzzling scent and seemingly capricious mannerisms kept intruding themselves and upsetting his train of thought.

He did not understand her obviously intensely personal connection to the humans who inhabited the valley. Even if she _was_ human herself, she was the servant of a goddess; why should saving a pack of smelly humans from predation matter more to a divinity than the resolution of the War between Agni and Tui? How could Jiān say that protecting life was all that mattered, when _everyone_ knew that unless one side won over the other, no life was safe?

Yǎn-sui was accustomed to being used as a tool: that was the sole purpose of the demon race, after all. He was under no illusion that Agni valued him or any of his kind as anything except as particularly useful weapons for eliminating his enemies. Of course, Yǎn-sui's service to Agni had its own ends…

Jiān was using him as a tool as well, but she seemed to be confused on how one should _treat_ a tool. She did not demand or command, she _asked_… or pestered or scolded or laughed. It was all very strange. He had lived so long in the Heavenly Court that the impulsive actions and naive attitudes of an eccentric backwater nymph were downright disturbing… if she was truly what she seemed. _**'There's**__ the rub of it,' _Yǎn-sui thought, swinging himself up over the crest of the cliff with a grunt of relief, 'If_ she's actually as flighty as she acts, how can she possibly achieve her goals? But if she is putting up a façade… what is she truly trying to accomplish? Is she acting on Tui's behalf, ensnaring me for whatever reason? That village was doubtless destroyed by demons, and her grief __**seemed**__ genuine… but gods and their ways are deceitful.' _

Yǎn-sui shook his head as if attempting to shake off an exceptionally annoying sting-fly; if Jiān was putting up an elaborate ruse, she would doubtless betray herself and he would be ready for it. In the meantime…

The devastation before him was rather spectacular, even to his jaded warrior's eyes. Not a single patch of ground in sight was not overturned, torn up, or otherwise mangled in someway. Stones had been reduced to gravel; trees were little more than splinters or mauled knots of once-mighty root systems. He was surprised the crest he had just climbed up had not collapsed under the ferocity of his and Kujira's battle.

It must have rained during his time of recuperation in the shrine – the dark loam of the deeply-scored earth glistened in the sunlight, steaming up with the rich purple aroma of rot and the acrid metallic tang of his own blood. _'Kujira spilled enough of it over this place to ensure nothing will grow here for another decade or so,' _Yǎn-sui thought with grim humor, his horn suddenly throbbing as if recalling the blow that had split it. A pity – Yǎn-sui was never proud of the fact that the blood of his race was one of the most potent poisons in existence. _'And if Hui's head somehow got doused with it…' _

Best not to think overmuch about that possibility. Yǎn-sui made his way over to where he _thought_ he might have left Hui's head. '_Farther down from the edge of the cliff – between two boulders?' _ The boulders were no longer there, of course. Yǎn-sui paced the ground, mindful of the puddles of blood-poisoned mud – it might have been his at one point, but without his horns to protect him, it could easily eat away at his skin. He could barely remember anything of the fight, excepting pain and the flash of Tiào-fěi and the near-mad gleam of bloodlust in Kujira's stormy eyes. _'Huí, where are you?'_ Yǎn-sui called out, clambering his way to the top of a plowed-up mound of dirt in order to survey the battlefield, '_Tell me where you are, so that I might give you proper peace!'_ He closed his eyes, reaching out with his other senses, searching for the unique signature of Hui's demonic presence. Although his erstwhile comrade had expended much of his power in order to save Yǎn-sui from Kujira's ambush, Hui's horns had been intact. If he could only just resonate his own chi with them…

The stench of rotting flesh assailed his nostrils and an alien presence, faint and elusive as smoke from an extinguished candle but undeniably _demon,_ intruded.

Tiào-fěi flashed from its scabbard, the matched blades splitting apart in mid-air as Yǎn-sui whirled, slashing them down in lighting succession. Tiào-fěi merely sliced air; mocking laughter echoed over the ruined battlefield as Yǎn-sui stared at his assailant in horror.

"Had we been intent upon killing you, General Yǎn-sui of glorious Agni's host," Hui's head, suspended in mid-air, jeered sibilantly, "you would already be dead." Hornless and decaying, the head swayed to-and-fro, its jaw flapping in a macabre approximation of a puppet being worked by an inexperienced master. Though the eye-sockets gaped black and empty, Yǎn-sui knew whoever was manipulating his friend's corpse was watching him closely.

"Who are you!?" he demanded, rage quickly supplanting dismay. He extended his awareness, seeking the other.

"Poor little demon general," the shrill voice that was not Hui's cackled as the head shook from side-to-side. The resulting wave of reeking carrion almost made Yǎn-sui retch. "Kujira of the Tsunami cracked your horn – you cannot find us, no matter how hard you try!"

"What do you want of me?" Yǎn-sui snarled, forcibly reining in his anger. It was no different from this morning – he was more than half-blind to the world without his horn being whole and this new enemy knew it!

"Stay out of the way – what goes on in this valley does not concern you. The river wench is a fool who will be dealt with," the head replied, "Interfere, and a crack in your horn will be the least of your worries!"

Yǎn-sui sneered. "You strip my loyal subordinate of his horns and use his desecrated corpse in an attempt to frighten me? If you aren't _too _cowardly to face me yourself," he sheathed Tiào-fěi and bared his fangs and claws, "come to steal my horns as well, if you dare!"

"… so be it, General Yǎn-sui," the head intoned, "You will regret your decision for a thousand lifetimes!" Its maw slacked open with a sound like an exhaled breath that quickly crescendoed to the all-out roar of a mighty storm; the other presence boiled out, black and noxious, whipping around him in a screaming maelstrom of livid malevolence before it suddenly vanished. Hui's head, devoid of any sustaining power lingered for a moment longer before it, too, was swept away, dispersing like so many motes of ash upon the wind.

Yǎn-sui was left alone, Agni's eye beating down from the cloudless firmament, the wasteland of battle around him devoid of all life.

"Dammit," he growled to himself, clenching his fists. "_**DAMN YOU TO THE ABYSS!!**_" he roared to the heavens.

* * *

The deceptively serene surface of the river gleamed orange and pink and purple, reflecting the colors of the sunset as perfectly as any mirror. Jiān paused, just as she was about to skip another stone across the water.

"Yǎn-sui!" she exclaimed, dropping the pebble as she shot to her feet, greeting the demon warrior as he parted the undergrowth leading down to the riverbank with a relieved smile, "I was starting to get worried about you! I came earlier since I ran all my erra… what's wrong?"

"Hunting," Yǎn-sui replied brusquely, belatedly pulling his slightly blood-stained robe back over his shoulders, "You don't really expect a bloodthirsty demon like me to survive on few cabbits, do you?"

"Oh, I hadn't thought of that," Jiān admitted, chastened, "I'm sorry."

Yǎn-sui brushed past her, looking for the so-called "raft" that was their mode of transportation. "There's something I want to look at," he said, talking almost to himself, "You mentioned that that fishing village was the first human settlement actually on the river itself that was attacked. I want to take a look at some of the other villages downstream."

"It was," Jiān confirmed, following him, her brow creased with perturbation, "But before we go anywhere…"

Yǎn-sui whirled on her so quickly that Jiān squeaked with surprise and reeled back several steps. "Do you or do you not want to protect these worthless humans from the slaughter?!" Yǎn-sui demanded, yellow eyes blazing.

"I-I do," Jiān confirmed, startled, "But… are you sure you're all right? If one of your wounds is bothering you, I can…"  
"I'm fine," Yǎn-sui interrupted curtly. He turned back to the water, his frame practically shaking with barely-controlled fury. _'She's acting – she __**has**__ to be!'_

The raft was nowhere to be seen; in its place a fishing vessel that looked like a rowboat without oars, painted with fanciful renderings of crimson waves and a gold crescent on its bow, bobbed at the end of the line securing it to the reeds at his feet. Jiān had apparently taken his complaints regarding the raft under advisement. "Let's go."

"Yǎn-sui." His name was part rebuke, part entreaty. He breathed in, willing himself into stillness.

'_If disrespect cannot rouse her…' _"Yes, Lady Jiān?"

Jiān reached out for him; he sensed her hand, a mere hairsbreadth from his back, and tensed. She withdrew. "I have some new clothes here for you," she finally said, barely-concealed hurt ringing in her tone, "I hope you like them."

Yǎn-sui turned, regarding her warily. Jiān thrust out a dark red cloth-wrapped bundle, her anxious eyes searching his. "These should fit you better," she said softly as he accepted the proffered bundle without a word.

Yǎn-sui picked apart the knot that tied the bundle with expert delicacy. Within was a plain black robe (thankfully, of a much more reasonable size than the one he was wearing), dark grey hakama, and a waist-length charcoal-dyed over-robe with slightly trailing sleeves, marked with a small circular crest of a white moon crossed by three thin curves of red on the back. The cloth stank of human hands to its very fibers, but the craftsmanship was acceptable. He could live with the stench until it faded.

"I accept your gift with humble pleasure, milady," Yǎn-sui intoned with a bow, adhering to the strictest court protocol.

Jiān blinked, but instead of scolding him as he expected, she only nodded.

"Shall I put these on now?" he asked courteously.

She shrugged. "Only if you want to," she replied with a carefully neutral voice, although she was frowning.

"I shall, presently, but I should like to inquire as to whether you intend that we return to the shrine tonight, or continue downstream," replied Yǎn-sui with persistent civility.

Jiān could not keep up the game any longer. "All right, enough of that nonsense, Yǎn-sui!" she snapped, "What happened? You're like a different person all of a sudden!"

Yǎn-sui bowed slightly. "With all due respect to milady," he said solemnly, "What do you know of me to say what is different?"

"Maybe I don't know very much about you, other than the fact that you have a remarkably thick head and a twisted sense of humor," Jiān replied bluntly, her hands fisting the trailing sleeves of her dress, "But I _do_ know that something must have happened to make you moodier than a saber-toothed moose-lion with a cavity!" Worried suffused her expression yet again, and Yǎn-sui had to tell himself that it was a trick, that it was her attempt to manipulate him. "What happened, Yǎn-sui?"

"Command me to tell you, if you're so interested, milady," Yǎn-sui bristled, glaring down at her, sick of her games.

"Why do you keep saying that?!" Jiān asked, anger and frustration trembling in her voice, "I'm not your master, Agni! And I certainly don't think of you as my slave!"

Behind him, Yǎn-sui heard the loud splashes of waves slapping against the bank as if the river was reacting to Jiān's anger. She smelt more strongly now of the offensive human stench that had puzzled him in its amorphous amalgamation of divine and mortal. _'More and more, you give yourself away, Jiān… I am almost certain now…' _ "You are overly kind, Jiān," Yǎn-sui said, surprising the young woman, "But you seem to forget one other fact: I am not your friend, I am not your comrade, I am not your confidant; I _am_ your slave, Jiān, bonded to you by a life debt. You _are_ my master. You must act like one if you wish to use me effectively."

Jiān stared up at him, her face blanched to chalk whiteness that even the last rosy tones of fading sunset could not tint. "Yǎn-sui… don't…" She was _pleading_ with him_._ "Don't make me become like _them_… I am under no illusion that you obey me because you _want_ to, but…!" She lowered her face, hiding it from his eyes beneath the wide brim of her woven hat and its veil. "If you truly want me to choose," she said bleakly, "I _will_ become the master you demand that I be. I will protect these humans, because it is what is most important to me. And to do so, I will treat you like a slave… a tool.

"All the same… I would rather be your friend."

Without waiting for him to respond, she thrust her way past Yǎn-sui and leapt into the boat, which stilled the moment her feet touched it. "I would like to know how visiting the villages downstream will help you carry out our contract," she said, not turning around, "Unless that is something you wish to conceal from me as well."

Yǎn-sui stared at her, impossibly statue-still in the little boat upon the river, ghost-white and night-black against the deepening indigo of sky and water. She had been worried… no! She only pretended to be worried about him! And yet, when he had defied her, been belligerent, then patronizing… instead of bringing him to heel as those of her kind would have, she had practically _begged_ that he not force her to take that route! She desired to be his friend… and impossible, illogical, insane wish, of course… why should any god behave so improperly?

'_Does her deceit go so deeply or does she truly…?'_ A "fool" to be dealt with, Hui's head had said. "I believe that visiting the villages further downstream will give me a better understanding of the patterns of demon attacks," he told her, pitching his tone low and apologetic.

Jiān turned, her expression warily hopeful. "Thank you, Yǎn-sui," she said softly, with a smile that might have been a mask for unshed tears, "Anything you can do to help these people is appreciated, more than you'll ever know."

Yǎn-sui groaned inwardly. _'If this __**isn't**__ an act… we're all doomed.' _

* * *

"I wonder if rolling in cow-hippo dung would make these smell any better," Yǎn-sui mused, picking at the collar of his over-robe with bored disgust. He sniffed it, hoping the stink had faded in the last few hours.

"Pwah!"

It had not. With a growl of irritation, Yǎn-sui sagged his head against the trunk of the tree at his back, glaring balefully up at the nearly-full moon shining through its spare branches, the first buds of spring leaves like so many dark beads scattered on skeleton fingers.

"_Ree-peat!"_ cheeped a cheeky parrot-frog. It blinked its large, moon-lit yellow eyes at the demon as it hunched, preening, on a rotting log just out of arm's reach.

Yǎn-sui titled his head at it. "Maybe if I squashed you into a pulp and…"

The parrot-frog expressed its opinion of this plan by making an impressive, headlong leap into the river, disappearing with parting "_peet!_" and a splash.

"Harumph…" he grunted, momentarily stymied (and now deprived of a potential diversion). _'As soon as I can start killing those bastards, that'll solve more than one problem,'_ he reminded himself consolingly, trying to ignore the protruding knobs of roots as he shifted against the tree and closed his eyes.

Speaking of "those bastards"… after Hui's head delivered its gruesome warning, Yǎn-sui made a close inspection of the battlefield, scouring it and the general vicinity for clues. The signs were there, now that he had reason to look for them: at least three demons had traversed the ground, too many just to have come to retrieve Hui's head and strip it of its horns. This in and of itself might not have been puzzling if were not also for the fact that Yǎn-sui detected remnants of earth, water, _and_ fire in the lingering traces they had left behind; in addition, the tracks rendered no indication as to where they came from or where they went. Demons who contracted themselves to gods or spirits ultimately absorbed the elemental power of their master. They did not associate with demons of other types very often unless operational expedience demanded it, and _never_ had he come across demons who exhibited more than one elemental feature. Demons also could not simply materialize out of thin air, unless summoned by a god, and Yǎn-sui had found no such contradicting presence.

_'If I interpreted the tracks wrong…'_ A distinct possibility, given the damage to his horn. It might be that the demons were indeed rogues, formerly of different factions who had just _happened_ to band together in this particular valley for a reason Yǎn-sui could not yet understand. And the god just might be weak, explaining the lack of divine spoor traces… but then, how could he summon demons?

Yǎn-sui put about as much stock in coincidence as he did in tales. Something mysterious and far more significant than a few humans being slaughtered was going on. And unless Jiān was a part of it… _'Which seems more and more unlikely, unfortunately…'_ he was as yet at odds to concoct even to most general conception of the enemy he was facing.

_'Now suppose Jiān is __**not**__ a part of this, and actually is fighting in the dark as much as I am…' _ Yǎn-sui frowned. Assuming Jiān was innocent, he would have to rely what she and the humans (at least those who had survived the attacks) had to tell. Jiān had hinted that attacks had been more frequent on villages in the hill country the stood at the edges of the river valley; refugees had borne horror stories of murderous ravening monsters as they sought sanctuary on the river banks, which was why she had heard about demons on the rampage prior to the attack on the one fishing village. Naturally, the panicked creatures would not have any clear idea of what powers these demons exhibited or even how many there were.

Without even talking to the witnesses, however, Yǎn-sui could almost confidently rule out anything more than a hundred demons amassing in the vicinity; anything like the size of an army would have been as obvious as a beacon in a starless night, even without his horn. _'So… something less than a hundred but more than three is reasonable… but not very helpful.' _

Yǎn-sui ruefully acknowledged that he had grown accustomed to his well-trained intelligence resources; without them, he would have to rely solely on the human rabble to begin drawing a mental picture of the enemy Jiān had pit him against.

"There you are!"

Or, more specifically, he had to rely on _Jiān_ asking the right questions of the human rabble to get such information. Humans were such delicate, easily frightened things, but having his temporary master serving as his intelligence liaison was a rather disturbing reality he _preferred_ not to dwell on.

"What did the rabble have to say?" he asked by way of greeting.

Jiān frowned and flopped gracelessly down on the hard ground beside him. "I really wish you'd stop calling them names like that," she grumbled irritably as she kneaded her bare toes into the soil.

Yǎn-sui cocked his head. "You prefer I call them 'lunch' or 'dinner' perhaps?" he asked.

Jiān dead-panned. "Stop being a smart-ass," she grumbled, clearly in a bad mood, though Yǎn-sui doubted it was directly related to his teasing, "You said yourself that you can't stand the way humans smell, so there's no way you can convince me you're a man-eater."

"Hm, you're right – the older ones are far too smelly and tough and gristly, but the littlest whelps aren't so bad, provided you can stop their squalling," Yǎn-sui reflected aloud.

"…you're joking… right?" Jiān said, looking positively green around the gills.

Yǎn-sui smiled pleasantly. "So, I assume you found out something useful? You were gone nearly three hours."

"I think so," Jiān ventured hesitantly, "What about you? You scouted the area, right?"

Yǎn-sui nodded. "I didn't find anything immediately interesting, except dinner… and no, it wasn't a human child, you can stop looking at me like that," he replied, freely interpreting her wide-eyed stare, "No demons have been near this village recently. I hope your foray was more fruitful." He looked at her expectantly.

"Um…" Jiān pulled on a lock of hair, "Actually, a few survivors from a village about two days northeast of here arrived just today – five people, out of a village that was once fifty." Her voice became tight with anger. "The villagers here took them in, but a few are saying they're worried the demons will come for them next because they're giving shelter to demons' prey. They wanted to chase the refugees out, send them downriver. I put a stop to it, but only just barely."

"It might be that theirs is not an entirely incorrect assumption," Yǎn-sui informed her, "If those humans weren't _meant_ to survive, then this village will likely be attacked soon." _'And it is ripe for the taking – the very air here stinks of fear.' _

Jiān looked at him sharply. "Are you saying there's a reason five particular people escaped with their lives?" she asked, worry and confusion leaking a husky timbre into her lowered voice, "Why, then?"

"I'm not sure. Yet," Yǎn-sui admitted, narrowing his eyes in frustration. He shook his head. "Figuring out the enemy's goals is by far the most important strategic piece of information to attain, but I doubt these humans can give it to us. I will settle for learning how many demons attacked the village and what sort of abilities they exhibited."

"Xing said he saw three," Jiān said immediately. Yǎn-sui looked at her in puzzlement. "Xing is one of the survivors – only eight years old and he saw his whole family slaughtered in front of him by a demon with a fire sword."

_'A "fire sword"?' _ "Interesting…" Yǎn-sui mused, lapsing into thought. "Did the whelp happen to notice anything else?"

Jiān's left eyebrow twitched but she reined in her anger at his callousness. "The one that used the fire sword was black-skinned with red markings. He thinks the other two were yellow and dark green, but he said he couldn't be sure, as he was rather busy hiding under his house out of fear for his life."

"Is that all?" Yǎn-sui pressed, ignoring her sarcasm, "What about their armor?" Old habits died hard – Yǎn-sui was vaguely aware that he was quizzing Jiān like she was a raw scout who was late reporting for duty. _'Never mind that – I can apologize later if she demands it.' _

"Armor?" Jiān echoed, bewildered, "Isn't the fact that one of those demons can swing around a blade of fire rather important? Why does…?"

"Demons allied with a god or spirit will wear the mark of their master – at the very least, a device or design on their armor or skin is a clue as to whom they have sworn fealty," Yǎn-sui interrupted curtly, "I agree that the fire sword is significant, particularly since no rogue should be able to summon such a thing. Therefore I must assume that some god or spirit is behind this." A thought suddenly occurred to him. '_If I recall, there was an incident of a deserter from Agni's army who could wield blade flame because his master was still alive. Fire swords are a common ability, and a demon who was long in Agni's service could possibly maintain it without his mater's awareness. If that is the case, then I must energetically pursue him and deliver him to justice.'_ Deserters strong and skillful enough to continue to use their masters' power were more dangerous than rogues alone, especially if they had somehow managed to team up with an opportunistic god.

"What if the demon ate a fire spirit?" Jiān asked suddenly. Noting Yǎn-sui's stare, she hurriedly added, "I mean, isn't it true that if a demon devours a god or spirit, he absorbs their power?"

"That is rather wishful thinking on the part of gods and spirits," Yǎn-sui scoffed disgustedly, "They like to consider themselves vastly more powerful than they are. Corpses are corpses, once the soul has fled. I've had to let my soldiers eat the dead off the battlefield after we broke a siege or if our supply lines were cut and they never exhibited anything beyond indigestion and occasional food-poisoning afterwards."

"Oh." Jiān wriggled her toes squeamishly. "But what if they somehow managed to devour a god's soul?"

Yǎn-sui shook his head, growing tired of this line of questioning. "There is not a demon alive who can do that. It's been attempted in the past, in vain."

"But what if…?" Jiān insisted.

"As of yet, I will not rule out any _plausible_ explanations," Yǎn-sui interrupted, "God-eating is a possibility, but one that we should not dwell overlong on. Now, to get back to my earlier question: did the human brat describe their armor?"

Jiān shook her head, looking vexed. "If I had known such a thing was important to ask, I _might_ have been more insistent on it," she said.

"I will make my needs more clear next time," Yǎn-sui said politely, knowing she was admonishing him yet again for concealing things from her.

"It might be better if you just asked them yourself," Jiān grumbled, flicking a pebble away with her big toe.

"Yes, because we both know how well humans would take to being interrogated by a demon," Yǎn-sui replied drily.

"Well, if they didn't know you were demon, you could always adjust your approach," she said thoughtfully, and Yǎn-sui suspected she was talking more to herself than to him. In any case, he disliked the vaguely devious expression that was ghosting across her face.

"As far as strategic intelligence goes, we are in the dark," he said curtly, adopting the more official tone of voice he used when addressing Agni in his war council, "Our efforts to understand the nature of our enemy are limited by the dispersed pattern of human settlements along the river valley, as well by the fact that my horn is damaged, which effectively halves my ability to sense spiritual powers and somewhat reduces my physical capabilities. I am unfamiliar with the terrain, and your knowledge of what lies beyond the immediate area of the river itself is also limited; until we acquaint ourselves with the battlefield, we will be operationally ineffective. Tactically, as I said before, my physical abilities are less than optimal; you are not a trained warrior, so your contribution to a pitched battle must be considered in the area of support." It was bitter, having to admit his weakness, but he taking a gamble: if he was wrong and Jiān was actually playing him for a fool, he really would not lose out – she already knew how weak he was and since she was most likely a goddess herself, having ensnared him with a life debt, she could end him at her convenience.

Jiān listened intently. "Basically, you're saying that until we know for certain who are enemy is and you are completely healed up, it's not a good idea to fight them," she summed up.

Yǎn-sui nodded, slightly impressed but not in the least surprised by her clear thinking. _'As I thought – she's smarter than she lets on.' _ "Unless we can make the enemy come to us, I do not advise engaging them at the present time," he replied, unconsciously fingering the fissure in his horn, "Unfortunately, I do not know how long it will take for my horn to heal – I have never taken such damage like this before." _'Actually, I don't think demons are __**meant **__to survive something like this… if she hadn't been there…' _

"I think I might be able to do something about that," Jiān said, once again distant and thoughtful as she stared up at the moon. Yǎn-sui looked at her quizzically, but she did not seem to notice. "What do you need to figure out all of the… all the other stuff?" she asked.

"A map of the river valley, from headwater to where it meets the ocean would be helpful. One that locates all human settlements within thirty miles of the river banks on either side, indicating which ones have been destroyed or are suspected of having been destroyed and when would be even more useful, particularly if it also takes note of the outstanding features of the terrain so I can select defensible fallback positions."

"No problem," Jiān muttered, her slightly slack mouth tightening ruefully, "Anything else?"

"A better mode of transportation than watercraft," Yǎn-sui said, slightly sarcastic, "Preferably airborne."

Jiān pulled on a lock of hair, a smile spreading across her face that sent unpleasant scitters like insect feet up and down Yǎn-sui's spine. "That's going to be a lot easier than the map, now that I think about it. Don't worry, I'll take care of everything – thank you for telling me all this." With a very purposeful motion, Jiān rose and brushed the dirt from her skirts. "Come, Yǎn-sui: we've some work to do if we're going to fight!"

"'We'?" Yǎn-sui echoed as Jiān turned away in the direction of their boat.

"Of course – I have to do what I can," Jiān said over her shoulder, "It is _my_ valley, after all."

_'This either a very good or a very bad development,' _Yǎn-sui reflected, climbing to his feet and taking up Tiào-fěi.

As they made their way upstream, gliding silently on inky, moon-limned water propelled by Jiān's dancelike manipulations, she suddenly mentioned, "I don't know if this is important, but all the survivors of that demon attack were firebenders."

* * *

**A/N: **Yǎn-sui's pretty smart, but a nasty knock on the head can slow him up a bit. It doesn't help that Jiān seems not to have a clue how a goddess _ought_ to act.


	9. Interlude I: Of the Beginning of Ages

**A/N: **This interlude is something of a change of pace from the other narrative bits I've written before. It is intended to be read as an extract from Fire Nation creation mythology. It will also set up the turn of events that will begin to take place in the story.

_**

* * *

Tales of the Spirit Age: Fall of the Blue Spirit**_

Part IX. **Interlude I: Of the Beginning of Ages

* * *

  
**

"And so it came pass that out of Chaos came All Things that Have Been, Are, and Have Yet to Be. At this Time All Began, and Being was known. Thus began Life and from Life, Death. From Darkness came Light, and so on until Chaos retreated and gave way to Order and the Balance that is our universe…

"…Chaos did not give way readily. Out of anger and spite, it assumed Shape and Being and swallowed the Darkness and all that is consuming and destructive, for only in the perfection of Order that is absolute Annihilation can Chaos renew itself. And this being of Chaos took upon itself a Name – that of Koh, the Shadow King and the Face-Stealer, He Who Seeks the End of All Things.

"And so too did that which opposes Annihilation take Shape and Being, in the form of the Gods. The Brother Gods Agni and Tui rose up against Koh and his Darkness and cast him into the Abyss, wherein he would claim his foul dwelling and await a time of vulnerability in his foes. So ended the first War of Ages…

"And so it came to pass the Brother Gods and their sisters, La, Qi, and Tian together created the world and all that is in it….

"…For such was Qi's love of life that she gave up her body that it might provide shelter for all things that had come forth from her womb, Spirits, Men, and Beasts. In mourning for her beloved sister, Tian stretched herself over the earth that still throbbed with Qi's essence, becoming the firmament that watches over her. The Brother Gods swore to protect what their sisters had made. Agni removed one of his far-seeing eyes and surrendered it to Tian, so that light and warmth and life might bathe the world. The great burning eye rolled across the firmament so that day and night came to be. Tui opened his veins and created the oceans from his blood, giving shelter to countless other Spirits and Beasts that formed from the separate drops. La, the least of her sisters and brothers, gave her beauty to the darkness of night, so that light would shine even when Agni's eye could not look down upon the world. Thus the Moon became the Guardian of Night, to keep the evil that lurks in the shadows at bay.

"… In time, the Brothers quarreled, and thus began the second War of Ages, the Great War of the Spirit Age…

"… and Koh, from the nadir of the Abyss, watched with pleasure as his enemies turned upon themselves. In his cunning malice, he offered to them a truly treacherous gift, that the War would consume the world: his children as their soldiers, the race of Demons…"

* * *

**Rant:**  
If you ever compare the creation myths across cultures, you might be surprised to be find some interesting motifs from cultures that never had any contact. Such leitmotifs include slaying old gods/Chaos before the world can begin, creating the world from the bodies of slain gods/gods who sacrifice their bodies to become the world, INCEST, and brother gods who defeat a foe only to have a falling out. I think Jung and Campbell were onto something.

**/Rant**


	10. Of the Hidden Depths: Healing

_**Tales of the Spirit Age: Fall of the Blue Spirit**_

Part Xi: **Of the Hidden Depths: Healing

* * *

  
**

"No."

Jiān pursed her lips. "It's worth a try at least, isn't it?" she asked, "If it doesn't work, we can think of something else. Unless you have a _better_ idea right now." She folded her arms and raised a challenging eyebrow.

"Hurrrr…" Unfortunately for Yǎn-sui, he did not. His frustration with his clouded perception and his unease regarding the demon threat in Jiān's valley, which had increased with each successive village they had visited, demanded an immediate solution. Jiān had plied refugees with the questions he had given her, and the results, while less than satisfactory, outlined an enemy with deadly, merciless effectiveness. Their number, identities, affiliations, and abilities (beyond the flame blade-wielder) remained a mystery. But one thing puzzled him above all else: firebenders were the only humans who survived the attacks. He had not thought it relevant, but Jiān insisted on scrutinizing this seemingly insignificant fact until he could no longer deny that the pattern existed. _'But __**why**__?'_

Until he was at the fullest of his abilities, he would be hard-pressed to answer even that question. Which brought him back to his current disagreeable circumstances.

"This is the river's headwater," Jiān explained, straining to keep her patience with his recalcitrance, "The river's power is centered here. I was able to heal your other wounds with the water that flows out under the shrine. Therefore, it should be possible to heal your horn _here_, especially now, when the moon is fullest."

Yǎn-sui cast a cynical eye up at the swollen white orb suspended in the star-dusted sky. "The moon does not regard my race kindly," he pointed out, "Least of all those of us sworn to serve her mate's enemy. And while you were able to mend my bones, my horn is not the same thing."

"I'm not asking La herself to descend from the heavens on your behalf, _I'm_ the one who's going to do all the work. I understand that you have your doubts, but can you at least _please_ let me _attempt_ to help you?" Jiān snapped, exasperated.

Yǎn-sui was tempted to demand that she order him to do so, but he was growing tired of that game. "As my master wishes," he said courteously, as though he had not been disagreeing with Jiān for the last hour, "What is it that I must do?"

He noticed a slight twitch in the corner of Jiān's left eye, but other than that, she accepted her victory with grace. "You'll need to enter the headwater. It would be best if you went to where the water comes up out of the earth."

"… marvelous," Yǎn-sui muttered under his breath, staring down at the wide, deep pool whose center rippled with the water that surged forth beneath its surface, shivering the moonlight into a fractured disc. He could not gauge the depth, but he guessed the headwater could easily swallow him whole. _'And it will be cold as the polar ice wastes as well, I wager,'_ he grumbled inwardly.

"Um, what are you doing?" Jiān asked with alarm as Yǎn-sui shrugged out of his outer robe, folding it neatly into a square and placing it on one of the boulders that ringed the headwater.

"You rather I sat around the shrine naked for however long it took for my clothes to dry afterwards?" he responded drily, untying his hakama.

"That's not… you don't have to… I can take the water out when we're done!" Jiān protested shrilly, covering her eyes as Yǎn-sui disrobed.

"A little late for that. Maybe if you'd said something earlier," Yǎn-sui said with a smug smirk, folding the last article of clothing. Any small victory was a welcome one at this point. Sucking in a lungful of air and gritting his fangs, he slid into the water, sinking almost immediately up to his neck. The cold cut to the bone and Yǎn-sui nearly gasped out his breath as he felt it crush about his ribs.

Grimly, he strode toward the center, breathing in snatches of air and wishing bitterly that he could call upon the inner fire that Agni had bestowed on him to spread warmth to his limbs. The claws on his feet scraped and snagged on smooth, long-undisturbed stones and gravel; the ground sloped steeply downward to the center, and after only five steps he had to swim in order to keep his head above the surface, scattering the moonlight with the wake of his passage. His ears were full of the thunder of rushing water.

The water gushing up from the ground was even colder than the surrounding pool; Yǎn-sui shied away from it slightly, treading in place.

He sensed Jiān enter the headwater behind him. "Please tell me that I…"

"What?" Jiān demanded, swimming toward him.

"What do you mean, 'what'?!" Yǎn-sui shot back, his mane bristling every-which-way as he jerked his eyes upward, "You make so much noise about my removing my clothes when _you_ were going to jump in stark naked to begin with?!"

"Of course I was," she replied, drifting closer (Yǎn-sui had to force himself not to backpedal), "That's just how it works." She looked perfectly comfortable to be swimming around in what amounted to melted ice, apparently without a care in the world. Yǎn-sui noticed she was keeping her gaze fixed on his horn, though.

"Then why…?! Never mind, I don't care," Yǎn-sui grunted, staring fixedly at a string of brilliant blue stars that seemed take the shape of a scorpion-snake just above the waving tops of the bamboo forest that surrounded the headwater.

She regarded him in silence. "You're… kind of shy, aren't you?" she ventured.

"You think a demon like me should be leering at your nudity?" he growled, the hairs of his mane sticking nearly straight out as his gaze slipped just enough to catch a glimpse of a luminously pale bare shoulder.

"Well, yes," Jiān replied frankly, "That's what the stories say about demons. You're not shy about yourself, though, which is…"

"Can we proceed?" Yǎn-sui interrupted brusquely, "You might enjoy nude ice-bathing, but I'd like to get out of this puddle sometime tonight."

"All right," she agreed, her lips trembling with the effort not to smile or laugh, "Turn around."

Yǎn-sui grunted and obeyed. "Take a deep breath," she murmured near his left ear, her hand resting slightly on his broad shoulder, "We need to go completely underwater."

Mentally running through his voluminous lexicon of curse words, Yǎn-sui heaved in a deep breath and ducked his head under the surface.

The world beneath danced with shifting silver lances of moonlight, gleaming off of blue-grey stones that radiated spiritual energy. There was no mistaking the power centered here, and it nearly stilled Yǎn-sui's heart; he was a demon and a servant of fire, completely at the mercy of a water goddess in the core of her element. '_I've walked right into a trap!' _Instinct urged him to turn and run, to cut down anything that prevented his escape.

Jiān's other hand settled on his cloven horn and he saw and felt the energies shift and swirl, moonlight and water streaming together into cords of power that responded to her like a living thing. Jiān's chi, invisible but unmistakable in the sensations its skittered over his flesh, joined the streams and the cords of power bound them securely. He could no longer move, to flee or fight; he braced himself for the blow that would extinguish him. _'Of all the ways to die, it had to be thanks to my stupidity…'_

A gentle, comforting warmth stole over him. Try as he might, it was impossible to resist; Jiān was as part of him as her chi flowed into the crack in his horn, melding with his until he could no longer distinguish between them.

The void in his awareness closed, awakening him to her true nature.

'_She is no mere goddess,'_ he realized, _'She bends moon and water to her will… no, they __**embrace**__ her will. She is their child, a union of Tui and La. Why does she do this?'_ he wondered, aghast, finding no malevolent intent, only an intense desire to heal… and protect. Protect _him. 'Why should a goddess care so much?!'_ Why should she not destroy him in an instant for all her kin that he had likely slain? The fire inside him, instead of retreating, expanded, greedily partaking in the offering of life Jiān extended to it, spurred by the dark energies of his own reawakened chi. _'No, stop!'_ he cried, realizing what was happening, but helpless to prevent it. The crack in his horn had interrupted his ability to control his chi, and she had him restrained with his opposing element. By doing so, she had unknowingly opened her very being to the power that had brought him into existence, inviting it to devour her. If she did not sever the connection…!

Suddenly, the streams of chi and moonlight stilled, fading away before his eyes and withdrawing from his body. "I think I did it," Jiān whispered to him, "But we need to return to the surface. You're not a water demon, and drowning would be a rather disappointing end for the Blue Spirit."

Yǎn-sui kicked off the bottom of the pool and burst into the clear air of the night above. He slewed around immediately and caught Jiān by the shoulders as she surfaced. "Why did you do it?" he demanded, noting the drawn, nearly pained expression on her face. She could barely keep her head above the water without his help. "Why did you do it?!" he repeated, almost in panic.

"I healed your horn," she replied, but he easily caught the strain of weakness she tried to hide; their chi were still too close for such deception. She reached up with a trembling hand, two fingers alighting on the base of his horn. "Yes," she confirmed, her words slurring slightly as she smiled wanly, ignoring his hard stare, "I knew I could do it."

"Jiān!" Yǎn-sui shouted as her eyes fluttered closed, her head slumping forward against his chest. Cursing, he plunged back under the surface, leaping straight up out of the headwater the moment his feet touched stone, alighting on dry land with Jiān's unresponsive form clutched in his arms. "Jiān, tell me why!" he hissed at her, "You didn't just use your chi to reinforce mine! You _gave_ it to me! Why?"

"Had to…" she mumbled, so softly he had to hold her lips to his ear to hear her words, "Only way… to…"

"You could have died!" Yǎn-sui roared, "Demons devour and destroy! That's our nature! _He_ could have come here and…!"

"… tired, Yǎn-sui," she interrupted, her forehead furrowing slightly as she tried to frown, "Can you… wait… until tomorrow… to yell at me?" With that, she fell completely unconscious. He gaped down at her. He could _see _her chi, coiled protectively about her deceptively frail outer form as it tried to replenish itself. Yet again, she had done as she promised and more. He did not even have to reach up to touch his horn to verify that it was completely healed. _'Why? If you are not deceiving me, how could you be so foolishly generous?'_ he asked her, unable to comprehend.

It was the least he could do to let her rest properly and regain what she had drained away. _'But, how do I…?'_ If she had been a being a fire, he would have placed her in the nearest source, even if it had been a simple hearth.

He glanced up at the moon and rolled his eyes at his own idiocy. _'Of course.'_ He carried her back to the headwater. _'She is of water and moon – they will restore her.'_ Even as he told himself this, it was only with apprehension that he lowered her into the pool, letting her sink quietly below the black, silver-streaked surface. He stood, watching Jiān's pale form come to rest as the energies within the headwater swirled and gathered once more.

_'La, restore her… Tui, begrudge her not…'_ he mentally intoned, although he knew the deities turned deaf ears to prayers from supplicants such as he.

With nothing else to do, Yǎn-sui dressed and sat with his back to the headwater, Tiào-fěi at the ready to protect his master through the night's vigil.

* * *

Jiān's scent, purged of all human traces, came to him through the pearl-grey fog of pre-dawn. "Good morning, milady," Yǎn-sui greeted, turning and bowing so his forehead touched the earth.

"Good morning," she returned hesitantly.

"Milady, this warrior would…" he began.

"I know you're upset with me and you think I'm an idiot for doing that," Jiān blurted rapidly, cutting him off, "although I don't know why trying to fix your horn was stupid, _which it isn't_ and really does make perfect sense if you think about it the way you do, because it's not smart to go into battle without having your full strength and I know you're worried about those demons because of the way you keep growling…"

"Milady…"

"… and muttering to yourself about them and how you can't figure them out, so I thought since I had a good idea on how to take care of everything, I should try it and I really didn't mind taking the risk because it paid off (not that I wouldn't have taken it if it hadn't, not that I could tell before I did) and…"

"_Jiān_…"

"… now look, your horn's healed! I figured it would work, since even if you're not a water demon, life is life and we all come from the same stuff anyway at the most basic level, whether we're humans or demons or spirits or gods, so all in all, _none_ of us are really all that diff-…"

"_**JIĀN**_!" Yǎn-sui roared, making the ground tremble.

"Yes?" she replied, taking her fingers out of her ears and looking somewhat abashed.

"You…" He stared up at her. He had prepared a speech, tailored in the most formal language a slave could use to address his master to impress upon her the dire purpose of his words: how he would rather carve out his own heart with Tiào-fěi than to suffer the shame of owing so deep a debt to a daughter of his master's enemy; how she was an utterly reckless fool for not understanding that a life-debt worked one way, never mind that he was a _fire demon_ and she was a _water goddess_ and that her gamble _should not_ have paid off and _should_ have ended her life then and there; how much he refused have her on his conscience because his purpose was to _serve_ her and thus by default, protect her, _not_ have her protect him. She had everything backwards and it was insane and dangerous and absolutely…!

She was staring at him like she was preparing for him to cut into her the way he had the first night downriver.

It had not been her fault he could not give Huí the burial he deserved; she had brought him there to the cliff with no ill-intent, though his suspicious nature had refused to see it that way. It had taken last night's humiliating show of her blatant disregard for the Law and the rules of war when it came to protecting Life, _any_ life, for him to see it clearly. Even still, he could not understand _why_ she did it_._ She owned him, but placed him equal to her. She was powerful enough to crush him with a thought, and yet apparently weak enough that his words alone could hurt her.

"… need to never do something that stupid again," he sighed, suddenly feeling excruciatingly tired; with his anger and determination suddenly sucked out of him, the night spent in sleepless recrimination began to tell. "Please. It's not supposed to work like that."

"But…"

"And you should also stop trying to act so human all the time, daughter of Tui and La," he tacked on irritably, "It's annoying."

"Oh. You figured it out," Jiān blurted, "When?"

Yǎn-sui cocked his head, narrowing his eyes. _'Don't tell me she thinks I'm __**that**__ oblivious.' _ "I suspected from the beginning, naturally. You couldn't completely disguise your nature, even with my horn damaged. That, and your scent."

"… what?"

He sighed again, resisting the urge to bury his face in his paw. "You smelt human, or rather, you smelt _of_ humans. Just like any body of water, no matter how vast, is tainted throughout when filth falls into it, your constant contact with humans made you smell like them." He cocked his head, wondering if she understood; she looked thoughtful, but it seemed that expression could also mean she was simply trying to humor him. "It was a mixture that was neither young nor old, male or female, because you apparently enjoy reveling in their company to the point that you picked up the scent of _everyone_ you were ever in close proximity with."

"Really? That's interesting, I never noticed!" she said, grabbing a handful of hair and taking a deep whiff. "…It smells like it always does."

Yǎn-sui could not quite stifle his groan as he got to his feet. "It doesn't matter – just so long as you understand that you must never do something so idiotic and reckless again."

"But…!"

"Never again!" he barked, making Jiān jump slightly back in surprise. "How can you expect to fight demons if you don't know anything about them?" he muttered disgustedly, turning away.

"All right, so I don't know very much," Jiān returned, "It's not like I'm completely ignorant, though!"

"Really?" Yǎn-sui drawled sarcastically, glancing over his shoulder, "Do tell."

Jiān bridled. "I know that demons are the children of K-…"

"Never. Say. That. Name," Yǎn-sui growled darkly in her ear, his fang scraping her temple.

Jiān nodded vigorously, hands plucking vainly at the massive paw clamped over her mouth as she squeaked muffled protests and attempted to wriggle out of the vice-like hold of his other arm crushing her to his chest.

Yǎn-sui snorted and released her. "My apologies," he said, bowing stiffly, "I did… you were being reckless again." Noticing Jiān's puzzled expression, he elaborated: "To speak His name is to invite Him before you, when uttered in the presence of His spawn. We are of Him, we are Him – do you understand why you must never again try to give your life to me, now?"

"… No," Jiān said, "I think you have it wrong, Yǎn-sui. Saving a life is never the wrong thing. Your life doesn't matter any less than mine when you look at it."

"Hrrrgh…" Yǎn-sui growled to himself, gnashing his tongue to keep from letting loose the searing tirade her constant naïveté was stoking to a flash-point. "Fine. Keep believing that; it is not my place to change your mind." _'Just so long as you never again __**act**__ on your stupidity.'_

"Good, I'm glad that settled," she replied cheerfully, "Oh, by the way, I know how you can get the information you need from everyone without having to go through me."

"… How?" Yǎn-sui asked, though he regretted uttering it the second he caught the gleeful, mischievous gleam in her eyes.

* * *

**A/N: **As stated preivously, Yǎn-sui's terribly smart, but can be slowed down by a nasty knock to the head. And yes, Koh will continue to play a part in the backgound of this tale. Because Part X turned out to be such a monster, I'm splitting it into two parts for easy reading, so the next chapter will not be a narrative piece as has been the pattern, but will immediately follow where I have left off here.


	11. Of the Hidden Depths: Ally

_**Tales of the Spirit Age: Fall of the Blue Spirit**_

Part Xii: **Of the Hidden Depths: Ally

* * *

  
**

_'This is __**not**__ going to work,'_ Yǎn-sui thought for about the hundredth time as the leaning dock lurched out of the fog, signaling that they had reached their destination. Jiān's arguments had been simple and to the point: he needed information from the humans regarding the demon attacks; _she_ had not been able to get it for him, since she could not read his mind to ask the right questions; humans were terrified of demons; if he _looked_ human, they would not be afraid; being a daughter of Tui and La, she of course knew how to summon a glamour that could do just that!

With a long-suffering sigh (he seemed to be doing a lot of that recently), he swung himself up onto the creaking planks to tie the boat in place. He flinched when he noticed how frail his paw, now disguised as a human hand with dusky tan skin, looked. The glamour pinched his claws and fingertips uncomfortably, and it felt like his horns and pointed ears were clamped in an unrelenting vice. Jiān assured him that the glamour would not impair his newly regained spiritual powers, but that did not make the annoyance any less bearable. _'Then again… it must have been worse for Kujira, squeezing his massive carcass into the guise of a tree spirit,'_ he thought. Well, if Kujira could stand it, so could he!

"Are you sure you're all right?" Jiān asked in undertone, taking the hand Yǎn-sui extended down to her.

"As well as can be expected," he replied, lifting her up beside him. There was no point in complaining now. "When will…"

He heard and smelt the humans before he saw them. Tensing in his crouch on the warped, splintering boards of the creaking dock, Yǎn-sui nearly forgot about Jiān until she waved her hands and cleared away the fog that shrouded them.

"Here goes nothing," she breathed, sounding volumes less certain of herself than she had making her argument back at the shrine. She stepped forward and bowed to the approaching cluster of villagers, motioning furtively behind her back to Yǎn-sui to stand and do the same.

Yǎn-sui rose and surveyed the welcoming committee, waiting for the instant they would realize a demon was in their midst. No need to use Tiào-fěi on this lot, even if some of them were firebenders.

"Priestess," the bent old man with the long cloud-wisp of white beard greeted in a voice stronger and steadier than his cane-propped skinny body, "We are honored by your presence."

"Thank you for coming to greet me, Elder Yu," Jiān replied, bowing even lower. She gestured again for Yǎn-sui to follow her example.

Yǎn-sui snorted and crossed his arms across his chest. The ten or so humans huddled together behind the old man (apparently their leader, despite his obvious infirmity) seemed to take affront to this, whispering behind their hands and shooting angry glares at him. He had to suppress the urge to roll his eyes; Jiān's glamour obviously worked, or they would not have dared to act so insultingly. Small wonder they were getting slaughtered wholesale.

"Please, you and your companion must take some tea in my house," the old man said with a polite smile to Yǎn-sui that became genuine when he returned his attention to Jiān.

"We will, thank you," Jiān responded happily, ignoring the irritated rumble that escaped Yǎn-sui's throat. He knew such ritual and niceties were required even among barbarous humans, but he was not looking forward to being crammed into a stuffy space with a smelly pack of gape-mouthed villagers for Abyss-knew how long. As he and Jiān fell in with the humans, Jiān walking alongside the elder and exchanging meaningless pleasantries, he noticed that several of the coterie continued to stare and mutter among themselves like a herd of nervous fox-deer who had scented a saber-moose-lion.

Being a demon, he heard their hissing whispers as clearly as if they were shouting at each other at the top of their lungs.

"Damn, he's a big one," observed a grey-lipped male with a trim iron-peppered black beard and a shaved head. He smelt of tar and iron and dried wood – a builder of fishing boats, perhaps?

"Think he's one of those rock-throwing giants from the Big Land?" his neighbor, a timid-voiced frog-eyed man of about the same age and twice the girth, asked.

"A warrior, definitely – that sword of his ain't just for show." This from a young male behind him, his voice changing pitch with untoward frequency.

"Like you know the difference!" snapped a female who smelt similar enough for Yǎn-sui to guess that they were either mates or kin.

"What's he doin' with the Lady?" an accusatory female voice, older and sharper, wanted to know.

"Maybe she hired him to fight the demons?" another female, gossipy and high-pitched, suggested.

A sniff. "Or maybe he's a new lover for her to parade around like…"

Yǎn-sui had half-turned to take off the head of the harridan for insinuating such slander against his master when Jiān grabbed his arm and literally dragged him through a low doorway he had to duck nearly double under to avoid banging his head against the lintel.

"All right, everyone," the elder addressed the crowd through his door, "Lady Jiān has business further down the river today – if you have any petitions for her, leave them with me later, and she will attend to them when she can." He made a shooing motion with his hand and the crowd dispersed, fading into the mists like banished shadows to spread their gossip about the priestess and her hulking companion to everyone they met.

"Well, now, I think I know why you're here, Lady Jiān," Elder Yu said, turning to Jiān and quirking dry crinkled lips into a pleasant smile, "The hawk returned just yesterday." He hobbled past Jiān and Yǎn-sui, shuffling off his straw sandals before stepping up onto the elevated floor of the house. "Kiyo, prepare the good tea – the priestess and her companion have arrived!" he called out down the narrow, dark passageway that lead inside. "Please, come in," he said, turning back to his guests. Jiān and Yǎn-sui followed him down the hall, Jiān with her hat and veil in hand and Yǎn-sui at a crouch, feeling distinctly claustrophobic; if anything attacked just then, the cramped quarters would be troublesome.

The elder turned right and went through what had to be a sitting room, with its mats of woven reeds and low table, onto a covered deck that overlooked the river.

The persistent mists were just then fading; Yǎn-sui could see Agni's eye furtively burning its gaze through the grey-white shrouds, and sullenly wondered if his true master could see the depths to which his servant had sunk. The river bank lay an arrow's flight away, still guised in pale hangings.

"I hope this is comfortable for you, priestess," Elder Yu said, easing himself down onto a rag-padded reed mat and setting his cane beside him, "The mists at this time of year can be a little troublesome."

"It doesn't bother me in the least," Jiān replied cheerfully, sitting beside him with her hat on her knees, her white robes splaying out around her, "The shrine is almost always fog-covered anyway, and I do so love the view you have of the river."

"You must really visit me when the sun is setting," the old man replied, crinkling his eyes with pleasure, "Agni's descent colors the waters most splendidly, especially in the summertime."

Yǎn-sui, sitting cross-legged slightly apart from the other two with Tiào-fěi across his lap, wondered how long the two of them would chatter on like hog-monkeys. _'With demons slaughtering humans left, right, and center, is it really the time to be going on about sunsets?'_ he thought resignedly. It was not like this was Agni's court, where seemingly meaningless conversations almost always concerned some treacherous intrigue at one level or another.

Elder Yu fixed his slightly rheumy old-gold eyes on Yǎn-sui so sharply that Yǎn-sui held his breath: was it possible that the old man could actually see through the guise? "Might I have the pleasure of knowing your name, warrior?" he asked pleasantly.

"Oh, forgive me!" Jiān flustered, "Elder Yu, this Yǎn-sui. He's…"

"One who serves the Lady Jiān," Yǎn-sui finished for her, seeing her hesitation. He bowed slightly. "I have been… contracted… to eliminate the demons that are killing your people."

"Ah, I see," the old man said with a cryptic smile. He glanced at Jiān. "I knew you said the goddess was serious about protecting the people of this valley, but are you certain one man will be enough to face the hordes? No offense intended, warrior, but these demons… they simply are not something one man alone should have to face."

If he had been in the old human's position he would have been doubtful as well, especially since the elder obviously saw him as human and weak as the rest of them. "Do you mean that the hu… the people of this valley intend to fight the demons themselves?" Yǎn-sui queried sardonically.

"Naturally," Elder Yu replied. He held out his hand and a small flame blazed to life to dance just above his calloused palm. "We rely on the river and the benign protection of the goddess for our lives, but that does not mean we intend to let ourselves be slaughtered like koala-sheep." His voice suddenly became forceful and Yǎn-sui considered that he, too, must have been a warrior in years long past. He dropped his hand into his lap. The fire winked out of existence. "This is our home, and we will defend it."

"Elder Yu…" Jiān murmured, eyes soft and almost sad.

A youngish woman with long dark brown hair pulled into a single braid stepped out onto the deck, a tray with three cylindrical cups of fired red-brown clay and a bulbous, steaming teapot of the same material balanced in her hands. She knelt and placed the tray wordlessly in the midst of the party, her sloe eyes fixated on Yǎn-sui with curiosity mixed with fear.

"Thank you, Kiyo," Jiān said to her, "But don't you want to stay and talk with us?"

Kiyo shook her head vigorously, ducking and bobbing like a crane swallowing a fish. "No. Don't want to." She stared at Jiān and shyly asked in a childish voice, "Come see my new drawings?"

"I will," Jiān promised, "I hope you drew more birds, those are my favorite."

Kiyo nodded eagerly and hastened away, a beaming smile creasing her moon-round cheeks. She spared no more looks at Yǎn-sui.

"The trouble is, it's somewhat difficult to coordinate defenses," Elder Yu continued, as Jiān poured the tea, "As I'm certain the priestess has informed you, there are settlements scattered all around, from the hill country on either side and from the great waterfall to the river's mouth." He accepted the tea Jiān offered him and sipped it, both hands cupped around the smoothly ridged circumference. "It takes anywhere from four to seven days to travel down river, depending on the season."

Yǎn-sui asked, "Is there a possibility that ships or boats could evacuate the population? At the very least, remove those who cannot fight?" _'Emptying this valley of humans would be ideal, but I suppose that would be asking too much…'_

Jiān made a slight sound of protest and glared at him as she handed him his teacup. Yǎn-sui cocked his head at her. _'__**You**__ were the one who wanted me to talk to them, remember?'_

The elder shook his head. "There are traders from some of the other islands who make port at the river mouth, but most of us cannot pay the prices they demand to take on passengers. And as I said, even though we're facing demons, we all want to defend our homes. "

"There's also the fact that this valley is something of a sanctuary for people who have had to flee their homes on the mainland generations ago," Jiān inserted abruptly.

"There's that, too," Elder Yu agreed. He raised a tufted eyebrow. "I don't know if you formerly owed fealty to any of the noble houses of the Sun Warriors, but…"

"Hu… Your politics do not concern me," Yǎn-sui interrupted, "I serve Lady Jiān and no one else." _'For the time being,'_ he added privately. He had heard of the Sun Warriors, he vaguely recalled: they were humans under the special patronage of Agni and his eldest son, the Great Dragon God Huánglóng. He supposed that meant they were firebenders as well. They were a fierce nation, according to rumor, and their aptitude for infighting and the habitual massacre of dynastic opponents was something of a joke among the Heavenly Court. If Jiān was indeed protecting the cast-offs of that tribe, her attitude was even more puzzling… or perhaps not, given her performance the night before.

He was frowning at Jiān, puzzling over this latest information to the point that he almost did not hear the elder's next question: "So, warrior, if we refuse to run, what do you suggest we do?"

He seemed to be challenging Yǎn-sui, as if Yǎn-sui's answer would settle his opinion of him. _'Hm, maybe he's not so stupid after all…'_ "It would not be wise for humans to seek out demons. You have no choice but to flock together and find some way to defend yourselves. Your numbers might save you if the demons are only seeking to sate their hunger."

"You don't seem to have a high opinion of us, warrior."

"Do you imagine that I would? I have seen burned villages, smelt fear, and heard tales of slaughter aplenty, but where have I seen corpses of demon slain by your warriors' hands?" Yǎn-sui riposted courteously.

Elder Yu frowned, his bony hands knotting into bloodless fists; Jiān looked very much like she wanted to upend the whole river on his head.

"I will learn more of these demons, and of your strength," he added before their tempers could be unleashed, "It pays to weigh both the enemy and… allies." He ground out the last word, looking hard at Jiān as he did so. _'There, satisfied? I have taken it upon myself to rely on these worthless creatures. I hope you're happy.'_

Jiān smiled softly, apparently aware of what the statement cost him in pride.

Elder Yu, less familiar with Yǎn-sui's circumstances, was hardly mollified. "Warrior, you seem to have much confidence in yourself. If it weren't for the fact that the priestess seems to think highly of you, I'd call you a braggart to your face." He shrugged, his face stern. "You, too, must prove yourself to us, if we are going to put our faith in you. In the meantime, my people will continue to take in refugees and find a way to defend our home. Lady Jiān, I will give you what you have come for. If you will excuse me…"

"He doesn't like me," Yǎn-sui observed as the old man disappeared through the sitting room.

"Who would, the way you insulted him," Jiān grumbled, glaring at him, "I know you don't like humans, but could you _pretend_ to be polite, perhaps? You're not the Blue Spirit or Agni's mighty Demon General here, so you can't expect to inspire them to follow you just by showing up and looming over them."

"I'm well aware of that, thank you, milady, but… don't tell me you seriously expecting me not only to protect them, but _lead_ them in battle as well?" he huffed in disbelief, "Impossible."

Jiān folded her arms. "Try. If you're really such a great general, it shouldn't be too difficult, right?"

He could think of a thousand reasons then and there why she was being silly and downright stupid, but the challenging lilt in her voice piqued his temper (and pride) a little too much: if he were to answer her, he would lose his temper, and it would be her victory. "I have attempted to gauge the demons' presence as we travelled downriver," he said, changing the subject so swiftly Jain was left blinking, "Either they are shielding themselves or there really are only a few of them to deal with."

"Um… can demons do that?" Jiān asked reluctantly. She obviously hated having to change the field to one where Yǎn-sui reigned supreme, but she had no choice if she wanted to prove to him she was serious about protecting her precious humans. Noticing his smug expression, she frowned. "I mean, how do demons hide from other demons?"

"By staying out of sight, of course," he responded gamely.

Jiān's hands made spasmodic grasping motions; the water below the decked splashed vigorously until she took several deep breaths. "Have I told what an annoyingly childish sense of humor you have?" she asked him sweetly, beaming a claw-curlingly false smile at him.

"You said I have a twisted one, yes," he said, oddly nervous; that smile of hers was downright creepy. "But enough playing around. Demons can hide behind a glamour concocted by a god…"

"But I'd know if something like _that_ was anywhere near my river," Jiān protested.

'_So much for that idea…'_ "Or they can just lie low, conserving their energies, drawing them inward. I do the same whenever I'm not fighting, although it's something of an advanced technique," Yǎn-sui continued, "As I said, if there are only a few of them, they'll be harder to pin down, especially when I'm this close to the river."

"Why should that… oh." Jiān pulled on a lock of hair. "Hm… maybe if you got more in touch with the river itself…"

"I don't see how that can help," he drawled pointedly, "But you said that you had a way for me to get airborne, so…"

"Oh yes, that! Hopefully, Elder Yu…"

"Here is the message you were looking for, Lady Jiān," Elder Yu announced, thumping the deck solidly with the point of his cane, "I apologize for the wait – Kiyo thought it was one of gifts Rinzen left for her and she put it in her room without telling me." He handed an artfully folded piece of paper the size of his palm to Jiān.

"Is that… a radish?" Yǎn-sui asked, staring at it.

Jiān smiled at it fondly. "Yes, Rinzen's a bit of joker – the last message I got from him was folded to look like a badger-toad," she answered, unfolding the vegetable into a much larger sheet of delicate paper boldly marked with ink characters. "Ah, he says he was down by Jiang Hui when he got my message and that he'll be waiting for us at the fishing place about a mile from here!" She stood up hastily and bowed to Elder Yu. "Forgive our hurried departure, but we really must…!"

Elder Yu waved his hand, smiling. "No, no – it's always a pleasure to have you come to my house, priestess, no matter how briefly. You had better hurry to meet Rinzen – if he sees something that strikes his fancy, he's liable to wander off and disappear again!"

Jiān laughed and nodded, beckoning to Yǎn-sui as she moved swiftly back into the house.

"My thanks for inviting us into your home, Elder," Yǎn-sui said gravely, getting to his feet and bowing.

"Hm," Elder Yu replied, "Catch up to her, warrior, she's waiting. And Yǎn-sui," he said as the demon passed him, "protect her, or you will answer to all of us."

"With my life," Yǎn-sui answered, somewhat surprised with himself.

* * *

"… Why is that carp flying in the sky on a string?" Yǎn-sui asked, staring up at the brightly-colored oddity. It was almost immediately joined by two fantastically winged dragon-flies and one bizarre-looking monstrosity that Yǎn-sui hesitated to call a butterfly. _'I __**knew **__all this river travel was bad for me!'_ he thought, feeling nauseous.

"Ah, we found him! Those are some of his kites!" Jiān answered happily, giving their boat one last burst of speed that extracted a sharp oath from Yǎn-sui.

_'What are "kites"?' _Yǎn-sui wondered, certain he had misheard as they rounded an outstretched arm of the river bank thickly covered by a stand of reeds. High-pitched, excited squeals of laughter pierced his ears and he stared.

A goodly dozen of human whelps were cavorting in the shallow water and along the wide, gravel-strewn river bank Jiān guided them toward, several of them holding the strings that controlled the "kites" as they dipped and danced on the strong breeze. Jiān leapt out of the boat as it ground to a halt, leaving Yǎn-sui to his own devices.

"Good morning, everyone!" she sang out, tripping lightly over the surface of the water.

"Ooooo, Lady Jiān! Lookit, I got…!"

"Hey, Priest-lady, you'll never guess how…!"

"… my tooth came out just like you…!"

"We found a badger-toad _with a split tongue_, look…!"

"I can make my kite do cart-wheels!"

"That's nothing, my kite can cut his kite's strings!"

"… and now I can whistle just by sticking my tongue into the…!"

"No, it can't!"

"Yes, it can!"

"… baby brother said his first word and my mom's upset with me for teaching him "poo" and…!"

"Who's the big guy in the boat?!"

This last exclamation, belted out by a thickset girl with a wild bushy black ponytail, overwhelmed the pipings of the rest, bringing the mob to a stunned halted as they turned in unison to gape at Yǎn-sui.

The captive badger-toad gave a hearty "_preeot!"_ and kicked out of his captor's slack hands, hurrying away across the mud to safety.

"That's Yǎn-sui – he's my friend," Jiān informed them smoothly, "Yǎn-sui, why don't you come over here and say hello to everyone?"

_'I'd rather chew sewage,'_ Yǎn-sui thought darkly, but he strode toward his master as she bid nevertheless. The whelps huddled about Jiān's skirts as he approached – the four holding the kite strings, three young males and a smaller female, allowed their charges to crash heedlessly into the water.

"… Good morning," he uttered, glaring down at them. "Where is the person you have come to see, milady?" he asked, required task accomplished. Jiān frowned at him. _'You expected me to play with them like a mother platypus-bear babies her cubs?'_ he asked her, tilting his head.

"Whoa, is that a sword?" one of the scrawnier, taller boys blurted, staring at Tiào-fěi, which Yǎn-sui held sheathed at his side in his left hand. "Can I…?"

"No. Where is the hu… where is this Rinzen?" Yǎn-sui demanded, moving onto dry land and shaking the water distastefully from his feet.

"Rinzen said he was going to meet me here today," Jiān explained to the whelps, "Have you seen him?"

"Yah, he had to chase after Lhamu a little while ago," the smallest female, her grubby fingers twined into Jiān's, supplied. She pointed to the shore, where a wide track had been plowed into the bracken by the passage of an enormous beast, "I think she saw something she wanted to eat."

"He'll be back soon, Lady Jiān," another young male assured, dredging his green and orange dragon-fly kite up from the river. He bit his lip, looking down at the collapsing frame.

"Let me get the water out of those," Jiān said, and the whelps pulled their kites from the river, watching excitedly as she made gentle drawing motions with her hands.

"Mr. Yǎn-sui, why do you have black-and-white hair and a white beard?" the thickset girl asked Yǎn-sui, sidling up to him while the others were distracted.

"Because I was made this way," he answered truthfully, unconsciously reaching up to scratch at his face. Instead of feeling the smooth planes of his cheek plates beneath his claws, he felt coarse hairs grate against his stubby nails. Jiān had said the most effective glamour incorporated "what is already there," whatever that meant. Apparently, although Jiān's power was strong and the glamour deep, he was not human enough to escape a child's sharp eyes.

The thought was strangely comforting.

"Are you really old?" the whelp continued, emboldened, "Even your eyelashes are white – I've never seen that!"

"What is "old" to you?" he returned, tiring of the conversation. He eyed the bank. It would be a small matter to follow the beast's trail, and since this "Rinzen" was not showing his face in a timely fashion, perhaps…

He leapt backward, straight up into a tree as a large mass fell from the sky, plunging into the river with a loud splash that caused the brood to shriek and caterwaul in startled glee.

"Hi there, Lady Jiān!" the young man perched on the sky bison's head greeted with a grin and a dramatic salute, "Sorry I'm late!"

"Growf!" added the sky bison.

"Better late than never, isn't that what you say?" Jiān replied over the shouting and giggling of the children.

"Rinzen!" the oldest boy shouted angrily, gesturing with his sodden butterfly kite, "She just dried these! What the hell are you thinking?!"

"Well, just ask her to dry it again, jeez," Rinzen said, sheepishly laying one hand behind his head and smirking.

"Hm…" From his position in the tree, Yǎn-sui scrutinized the newcomer. Long dark brown hair pulled back into a low tail did not wholly conceal the sky-blue arrow-point peeking below his hairline. His bare, tattooed arms were slender but well-muscled, for a human. His tunic was of subdued, dark orange, a sash of umber slung across his chest. The tri-swirled symbol of Sky-Mother Tian was marked into the left side of his neck.

_'Child of Air.'_ Yǎn-sui smirked, eying the bison. _'So, that's her game…'_

"So, where's this warrior person who's supposed to clear out the demons?" Rinzen wanted to know.

"Here." Jiān, Rinzen, the sky bison, and the children all started as Yǎn-sui dropped down in their midst. "Rinzen of Air, I greet you."

"Um… hi," Rinzen replied doubtfully. His eyes grew wide as Yǎn-sui drew up to his full height. "Whoa."

The sky bison snorted and growled, edging backwards into the water, her eyes wide as she stared fearfully at Yǎn-sui.

"Hey, Lhamu, calm down! Jiān says he's okay!" Shaking his head, he reached back up to the large saddle on the beast's back, pulling out a strangely-shaped staff. Leaping down lightly from the sky bison's head, he planted the staff and looked up squarely at Yǎn-sui (he was shorter than Jiān). "Name's Rinzen, from the Himavat Mountains. I hear you're in the market for a bird's-eye view of the river valley?" He grinned, and winked at Jiān. "I think I can help you there my friend. O'course, I'd do anything to make the lady happy."

"… you're kidding, right?" Yǎn-sui muttered to Jiān under his breath as he folded his arms across his chest, "An ally? I could break this human with one finger."

"Please don't!" Jiān breathed sharply, clasping her hands in front of her and laughing nervously. "You're too kind, Rinzen!"

"…" A breeze whooshed through the tensely silent tableaux.

"Hey, why don't we let the adults… do whatever," the largest girl suggested, herding the children away.

* * *

**A/N: **I felt it was necessary to show how the humans Jiān intends to protect aren't just passive victims - they want to fight too! But question is - can Yǎn-sui overcome his prejudice and appreciate that? Hopefully, his newest ally can show the way.

P.S. - Rinzen is **NOT** Aang in a past life, although his is the distant ancestor of more than a few of the series's characters (Ty lee being one...).


	12. Interlude II: Of the Children of Air

_**Tales of the Spirit Age: Fall of the Blue Spirit**_

Part XI: **Interlude II: Of the Children of Air

* * *

  
**

"… And so it was that Sky-Mother Tian gazed down upon the world she had helped to create with love, but her heart ached with loneliness. Her beloved sister, though dead, had brought forth Life and entrusted Men and Beasts to her siblings. But just as the heavens never descend to earth, so the Sky-Mother could not walk among them, for even the Beasts that fly must descend to the ground to roost.

"The wind spirits, her children, wandered far and wide and brought to her the stories of the goings on of the world, which she could watch over from afar but could never be a part of. But they, too, did not linger for she had given them freedom to go as they willed, a freedom she herself did not possess.

"Of these, her youngest son, Rabten, felt his mother's pain most keenly, and desired to bring to her a companion who could comfort her. Taking up his wide fur cloak which granted him the form of a sky-bison, he flew from the Heavens, searching for a suitable attendant. A thousand upon a thousand leagues, he flew, searching among Spirits, Men, and Beasts.

"'My noble mother is of gentle spirit and pure heart,' said he, 'I must find one who can return her love with such depth that she can never want for joy.'

"But such love is difficult to find, even for a god. Rabten continued his search, growing more disconsolate that he should ever find the one who might bring comfort to his mother.

"One day, a child of Men climbed to the top of the tallest mountain. This child could hear and speak to the wind spirits, and he had learned of the Sky-Mother's sorrow, and Rabten's quest. Braving the harsh ice storms and thin air, cruel cutting rocks and the burning of Agni's eye, he ascended until he stood on the final peak.

"'I might not be brave or very strong,' the child said to himself, 'I am not a god or a spirit, but I would like to see the Sky-Mother smile with all her heart.' Seating himself on the snow and conversing with the breezes, he turned his face skyward, waiting.

"The Sky-Mother heard the whispering of her children, calling her to look upon an amazing child who had come to see her. Turning her eyes to the mountaintop, she spied the child, a mere speck upon the pristine white shroud of snow. His small body was suffering from the cold, and she saw the flickering of his Life growing weaker and weaker. But even the tallest mountain was far below her, even as she stretched to descend to his aid.

"The wind spirits flew with great haste to find Rabten. 'Come quickly!' they bade, 'There is a most wonderful and terrible thing happening! Thy desperate search hath ended!'"

"Rabten flew with the speed of the mighty typhoon to the mountaintop, where the child had fallen face-down upon the snow, as if dead. Without pause, Rabten swept his cloak from his shoulders and drew it around the child's frail body. Immediately, the child was transformed into a sky bison and he awoke, revived in his new form.

"'Child of Men,' Rabten addressed him, 'Wherefore hast thou come to this place, which nearly scrapes the Heavens? Dost thou foolishly think to raise thyself to godhood? Or dost thou desperately crave to see the face of Death?'

"The child, now a sky-bison, shook his ponderous great head, not out of fright of the god, but because he was ashamed. 'I only wanted to see the Sky-Mother smile with all her heart. It is not fair that she should be sad when I am so happy.

"'And why art thou happy? Dost thou never suffer?' asked the god.

"Again, the child-turned-sky-bison shook his head, scraping at the snow with his paws. 'I laugh when my father swings me up to the sky in his arms, and I cry when my mother scolds me for a wrong I have done. I know what it is like to lose someone you love, but also how it feels to smile after one has finished weeping. I hoped I could share what I know with the Sky-Mother.'

"Rabten nearly smiled then: the child of Men was wise beyond his years. 'And dost thou know why the Sky-Mother is sad?' asked he.

"The child in the form of the sky-bison replied, 'She is sad because the winds are free and she is not. She is sad because she loves and cannot touch. She is sad because no one has told her they love her, and has said they are willing to stay by her side forever.'

"At this, Rabten fell to one knee before the child he had transformed and bowed his head. 'Thou are not only wise, but thou art also kind. So pure a heart is what I, a god, have searched the ends of the worlds for in vain, and yet thou hast come to this place of thine own free will, though it might have cost thine life.' He rose. 'Come, fly with me to see the Sky-Mother's smile.'

"Together they rose, the child who had become a sky-bison wondering at the sensation of flight. Even more clearly, he could see, taste, feel, smell, and hear the wind, the currents of Air the flow between Heaven and Earth. He moved them and they him, their non-bodies freely embracing his form.

"Higher and higher they rose, until they climbed to the Heavens themselves where the Sky-Mother was waiting, tears raining from her eyes.

"'Oh, Sky-Mother!' the sky-bison who was a child cried in dismay, 'I do not wish to see you cry! What may I do to see you smile?

"'Thou hast already accomplished that,' replied the Sky-Mother, smiling with love from the depths of her being. She stretched her arms out to him and embraced him. 'I heard thee speak so bravely on the mountaintop; truly it was selfish of me to cry in loneliness. I will never cry again for such a reason, now that I know thou couldst love me so deeply.'

"'I will stay with you, Sky-mother,' spoke the child, as tears flowed from his sky-bison eyes, 'I will never let you be lonely!'

"'Nay, child of Man,' replied the goddess, 'Thou art a child of my sister in the body, even though your spirit and heart belong to me. Thou must return to thy true form and thy true home. But know this: we shall never be parted in spirit. From this day hence, those who follow thee shall always have me in their spirits, and thou shallt be one with me, one with the winds and sky.'

"'And I and my children shall raise thee to the heavens themselves upon our backs and show you all that we know,' Rabten pledged fervently.

"And so the child who had become a sky-bison saw the Sky-Mother's smile, which came from the utter joy of his pure love. And he received her gifts, bestowed with a name: Anil, the first Airbender…"

* * *

**A/N: **What's this? what's a myth of the Air Nomads doing in a Fire Nation legend?! Mainly because I felt like writing for a different nation just to take a stab at it, but also for an idea I have for much later on in the story...


	13. Of the Renegade of Fire

_**Tales of the Spirit World: Fall of the Blue Spirit**_

Part XII: **Of the Renegade of Fire

* * *

  
**

"So…" Yǎn-sui spared a downward glance at the male airbender, before immediately shifting his attention back to Jiān, who was engaged in some sort of bizarre greeting ritual with the sky-bison.

_'She might be friends with the human, but Beasts are a different matter,'_ he thought, noticing the distinctly rigid set of the animal's multiple legs as Jiān balanced on the river's surface, her face a distinctly unfamiliar mask of wide-eyed wariness. _'Saving her from her own idiocy is quickly becoming a full-time occupation. How tiresome.'_

A pointed cough broke him out of his concentration. "Is there something you wish to ask of me, hu- Master Airbender?" he growled, keeping his eyes trained on Jiān.

"Well, not really, I just thought, seeing as we'll be working together, we might as well get to know each other a bit," the human (Rinzen, that was his name) offered with friendly smile, "Maybe chat about the weather, or fishing, or…"

Yǎn-sui snorted.

"Or we can just watch Jiān say hello to my sweetheart." Noticing Yǎn-sui's quizzical head-tilt, he added, "Lhamu. There's no girl I'm closer to than her!"

_'Humans are very odd; perhaps Jiān prefers their company because she seems sane by comparison?'_ Yǎn-sui postulated inwardly. That would explain a few things…

The sky-bison rumbled low in her chest, front paws shifting into a wider stance suitable for charging. Jiān froze, just within arm's reach of the beast's nose.

"… and no matter what anyone might think, sky-bison's are much smarter than your average ostrich-horse," the human was blathering, "I'd go so far as to say they're as smart as dra-…"

"The bison has adopted a defensive posture," Yǎn-sui announced, cutting Rinzen off as he laid hold of Tiào-fěi's hilts, "This has gone far enough." Jiān was a goddess, but he nevertheless had the obligation to protect her from harm, however slight it might be.

He started when Rinzen clapped a restraining hand on his arm. "Hey, cool it, big guy!" the small man admonished cheerfully, completely oblivious to the fact that he was courting death, "Jiān and Lhamu are old friends."

It was only out of courtesy to Jiān that Yǎn-sui warned the idiot away with a teeth-baring snarl instead of lopping the offending appendage off; Rinzen recoiled immediately. "Ahahahaha, right!" he laughed nervously, holding his staff as a frail ward against the hulking warrior glaring down at him, "No touchy!"

Yǎn-sui's eyes darted from the cowering human to Jiān and the sky-bison: the animal, instead of attacking, took a long, deep sniff of Jiān's scent as the goddess held statue-still...

_'Am I too la...?'_

_**FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH~!!**_

Jiān's face split into a huge grin as the wall of air loosed by the sky-bison slammed into her head-on, blowing her hat off her head and blasting her hair and garments straight back behind her. The children, who had apparently been watching expectantly for just this moment, broke out into a tumult of laughter and giggles. "Hahahaha, I'm glad to see you, too, Mumu!" Jiān trilled, latching onto the beast's face as the sky-bison made pleased purring growls, "Gimme a kiss!"

"I think it's cute how they never get bored of this game, don't you?" Rinzen asked, clearly enjoying Yǎn-sui's utter bewilderment.

"...'Game'?" the demon echoed weakly. _'Abyss, deliver me from this stupidity,'_ he begged, burying his face in his hand as the situation finally became clear to him.

"Hey, I know you're just concerned for Jiān, so no harm done," Rinzen continued, smiling brightly, "Just so you know, though, I'm not going to let you even _think_ about hurting Lhamu from here on out, got it?"

'_He's threatening me, even though he considers me stronger, all for the sake of his beast,'_ Yǎn-sui thought, scenting aggressive intention radiating from the human, _'Certainly not a coward, but perhaps a fool.'_ "I harbor no desire to harm the sky-bison, Master Airbender. My master would be most displeased if I did."

"True," agreed Rinzen, wary humor warming the coldness of his contrived cheerfulness. "Hey, Lady Jiān! You and Lhamu done playing around yet?"

"Oh, yes, I'm sorry!" Jiān called, releasing Lhamu and ineffectively trying to straighten her hair as she walked toward them. "Where is my…?"  
"Here ya go, Lady Jiān," one of the children said, holding up her hat, "You really oughtta think about getting some hair pins for it or something if you're going to hang around Lhamu anymore."

"That's a good idea," Jiān laughed, placing it on her head and arranging the veil. "So, Rinzen, you and Lhamu will help Yǎn-sui?"

"Like I said, I'd do anything for you, Lady Jiān," he replied, "Lhamu, too. But now that I've met your… companion, I'm not sure."

"What?" Jiān asked, shocked.

Rinzen had the grace to look slightly abashed. "Not to be insulting or anything, Jiān, but Lhamu doesn't seem to like Yǎn-sui very much." He nodded over at Lhamu, who had moved up higher on the bank, the gaggle of children swarming over her. "I trust her judgment, and I'm not going to make her take up anyone who she doesn't want to." He bowed slightly to Yǎn-sui. "Nothing personal, my friend. I can start drawing maps of the valley if it will help at all, but that's about all I can do for you."

"Rinzen, you can't possibly say that Lhamu can't…!" protested Jiān, "I mean, it's not fair! I swear to you, Yǎn-sui would never…!"

"Rinzen is absolutely correct," Yǎn-sui interrupted, holding up a hand.

"He is?" Jiān asked.

"I am?" Rinzen uttered at exactly the same time.

"Yes," Yǎn-sui affirmed, "Sky-bison are not mere pack animals – they are favored Beasts of the Sky Mother. To force them to bear anyone on their back whom they themselves do not accept is to insult them." He cocked his head. "Am I correct, Master Airbender?"

"Yes," replied Rinzen, blinking, "But how…?"

"Milady, if I gain Lhamu's permission, do I have your leave to ascend?" he said, ignoring the human.

"What? Why do you even have to as… oh." Jiān pretended not to notice Rinzen's bemused stare. "Yes, you have my leave."

Nodding, Yǎn-sui turned back to the airbender. "I will ask for her assent, if that is all right with you."

"Um, sure," said Rinzen, frowning a puzzled manner, "Not that I know how you think you're going to do that."

Yǎn-sui smirked. The children scattered as he approached the sky bison, who shied slightly, nostrils flaring as she snorted loud, nervous breaths. Jiān's glamour obviously did not fool her keen sense of smell. Yǎn-sui met her gaze evenly, noting how the whites of her rolling eyes showed – she was very close to fleeing or fighting for her life in the face of a recognized predator. Very deliberately, Yǎn-sui sat down, laying Tiào-fěi in its sheath on the ground in front of his crossed legs, never breaking eye contact. He folded his paws at the small of his back.

"Um, Yǎn-sui…?" Jiān ventured hesitantly.

"Sh, sh, I think he knows what he's doing," Rinzen interrupted in a low, slightly awed voice.

Only after Lhamu stopped pawing at the earth did Yǎn-sui bow, slowly and deeply. "Sky-bison," he said, keeping his head low and exposing his neck, "You know me for what I am. I have hunted and eaten your kind before. I do not desire to eat you. I vow never to harm you. I ask that you consider that I serve the goddess Jiān, whom you regard with affection. If you will condescend to carry me into the sky, I will promise never to raise fang or claw against others of your kind ever again."

He remained in his position until he felt the bison draw nearer, its nose snuffling the air about him with obvious distaste and more than a little trepidation. Ever so delicately, the wide black nose ruffled over his mane and his bare neck, causing the small hairs there to stand straight; as blunt as they were, a sky bison's teeth could inflict serious damage to such a vulnerable point. Yǎn-sui paid close attention to the paws that shifted the earth just in front of Tiào-fěi, causing the ground to tremble slightly with every nervous twitch.

With a final, violent snort, Lhamu emitted a throbbing "growf!" and moved away. Yǎn-sui waited until she came to rest beside Rinzen and Jiān before he regained his feet and retrieved Tiào-fěi. "We have reached an understanding," he announced to the bewildered human and goddess, with a slight bow to Lhamu, "She has agreed to allow me to fly with her."

"Hrrrrrmmmmmmm…" Lhamu agreed, sounding somewhat dubious but no longer antagonistic.

"Whoa," Rinzen admitted, patting her ear, "I thought for sure you'd try to trample him, sweetheart. Guess even I can be wrong." He looked over at Yǎn-sui, his eyes newly appraising. "Let's get going then, since Lhamu says it's all right."

Yǎn-sui nodded and came forward as Rinzen used a burst of air to loft onto Lhamu's broad head. "We will return shortly, hopefully with useful information," Yǎn-sui said to Jiān with a bow before vaulting into the expansive saddle on Lhamu's back.

"Wish us luck!" Rinzen called, waving to Jiān and winking. He whistled an ascending three note chord to Lhamu and the bison took to the sky with a slap of her tail.

"Play nice, you two!" Jiān called after them, clapping one hand to her hat to prevent it from flying away again in Lhamu's backdraft and waving madly with the other, "And don't do anything stupid!"

"I resent the implication," Yǎn-sui heard Rinzen mutter.

As the sky-bison climbed steadily higher, Yǎn-sui leaned over one side of the saddle, scanning the ever-widening panorama below him. Jiān was tiny white doll still waving up from the brown, gravel-strewn river bank. The children were smaller dots whirling about her in their erratic games. The river itself was becoming snakelike again as they topped the cliffs and he could see the bends they had hidden. Turning his head northward, toward Lhamu's tail, he could spy the mountain where the river began, a mist-enshrouded green mound easily covered by his outstretched paw. The sky above was clear for many leagues, a bright, nearly blinding azure. Yǎn-sui stood and breathed the thinning air deeply, feeling his heart race with excitement as his mane whipped the air behind him.

"It is a good day to fly," he announced, his good humor making him generous.

Rinzen looked up over his shoulder at his passenger, surprise evident in his grey eyes. "Well, the hits just keep on coming," he said, "Not everyone is so confident to be standing up on a sky bison's back on their first time airborne; most of them don't grin like hyena-apes either." He raised a shrewd eyebrow. "You've done this before."

"Not on a sky-bison, but yes," Yǎn-sui replied, taking the time to watch a hawk jet past them and dive in pursuit of its prey.

"Oh?" Clearly Rinzen desired elaboration.

'_Jiān did say to "play nice",'_ Yǎn-sui reflected. The human was fairly intelligent-looking and it would not hurt to be polite to someone a sky-bison so obviously approved of. "Normally, I fly on a dragon."

"Huh – that explains it," Rinzen said with a shrug, returning his attention to the way ahead, "You don't seem the type to boast, but I hear dragons can be rather picky about who they'll take as a rider."

Yǎn-sui replied with a shrug of his own, although Rinzen could not see it. "If you respect them and are worthy of their time, they will deign to serve as a mount for a… for a while." _'I seem to be getting glib all of a sudden,'_ Yǎn-sui noted, narrowing his eyes at the back of Rinzen's head, _'Altitude, perhaps?'_

Rinzen seemed to read his mind. "You know, I could have sworn I heard the only riders a dragon will accept are the servants of Agni himself."

"Rumors overstate things," Yǎn-sui drawled, his body tensing. Lhamu sensed his suddenly aggressive vibe and grumbled her displeasure. He breathed out slowly, regaining his composure. "A dragon will sometimes take up a human rider."

"Uh huh." Rinzen glanced back at him, a sly grin creasing his lips. "But sometimes, rumors carry a grain of truth in what is _not_ said. What I've _never_ heard of is a dragon-riding _demon_."

"I take it you know Jiān for what she is as well?" Yǎn-sui finally said after a long silence.

"You only have to pay attention to figure _that_ out," Rinzen replied with a chuckle.

"Is that why all the humans in this valley assume she's only the human servant of a goddess?" he asked pointedly.

The airbender dead-panned. "I take it you're not too fond of humans," he observed somewhat ruefully, "Except as dinner, perhaps?"

Yǎn-sui cocked his head. "Typical human," he replied, allowing a slight sneer to creep into his voice, "You don't taste _that _good. But no, I don't think very highly of humans. Many beasts are a great deal more intelligent and better-smelling."

"Can't really argue with you there, my friend," Rinzen said unexpectedly, "Not that I know if people taste good, one way or the other. So, if you don't like humans…"

"Why in the name of the Abyss am I trying to protect the humans in this valley?" Yǎn-sui finished for him, "It is what my master asks of me."

Rinzen loosened the reins enough to scoot around so that he could look squarely up at Yǎn-sui. "Normally, I don't pry into the matters of gods and monsters," he said frankly, "Humans are enough for me. But how in the name of the four winds did Jiān suddenly become your master? You're something I think she would have mentioned to me before."

"And how familiar do you really think a goddess would be with mere humans?" Yǎn-sui shot back, not liking the easy manner Rinzen bandied Jiān's name about.

"I think it's pretty obvious how familiar she gets," Rinzen retorted, beginning to frown, "She plays with the kids like she's their big sister; she sits for hours with the elders of the villages, just talking to them. She heals the sick, and uses the river to better everyone's lives, whether it be to irrigate the upland farms, prevent floods, or help the fishermen. I don't know many gods on a personal basis, as I'm sure you do, but I can bet there's not a single of them that goes out of their way to care for "mere humans" like she does. That's why I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, and I'm sure that's also why Lhamu doesn't throw you out of that saddle here and now."

As if to serve warning, Lhamu banked sharply to the right, causing Yǎn-sui to stumble slightly while Rinzen, accustomed to her turns of temper, remained steady as a rock on his precarious perch.

"What does it matter to you the circumstances behind my killing other demons?" Yǎn-sui demanded, forced to go down on one knee in case Lhamu made another radical alteration in her flight path.

Cold grey eyes glared. "It matters if you're going to disrespect Jiān in front of me," Rinzen answered in all seriousness.

"You humans have a strange concept of "respect,"" Yǎn-sui drawled, suddenly understanding what Rinzen was implying. He almost laughed, but since Lhamu did not seem entirely averse to pitching him overboard for imagined slurs against her "old friend," he decided discretion was the better part of valor. "Jiān is my master. She desires to protect the humans who inhabit the valley her river runs through. She knows that I am a warrior capable of doing so. Even though I detest humans, the terms of our… contract give me a very good reason to act against my better instincts and seek out an unknown number of demons who, for reasons I cannot yet fathom, have begun quite deliberately massacring humans and eliminate them.

"If anything, I hold Jiān in the highest respect for binding me when most others would have taken to fright for even daring to contemplate such a scheme." The last part was not entirely true; he was convinced Jiān's audacity sprang as much from naïveté as from her own inborn courage.

Innocence was always a casualty of war, never its victor.

Rinzen stared hard at Yǎn-sui, apparently weighing whether or not to carry the debate farther. "We came up here so you can figure out the lay of the land, right?" he said, turning around, "I'll be your tour guide, you do whatever it is you need to do, and we'll return to Jiān with a happy story about how demons and humans really can get along without bloodshed. Sound fair?"

_'Eminently so,'_ Yǎn-sui agreed silently, casting his eyes out over the landscape below. Lhamu had carried them above the crests of the cliffs; unbroken verdant forest carpeted their shoulders, deep gullies plunging minute waterfalls into slender tributaries of the main river. He could smell human settlements down there, beneath the canopy, but they were so frustratingly small and scattered that even his sharp eyes could not pinpoint them, not from this height. _ 'This will take longer than I thought… the sky-bison will have to take us down nearly to the treetops if I'm to conduct any sort of reliable survey, and by the time we've scanned nearly a tenth of this valley, the demons will most assuredly have struck again.'_ It irritated him, having to wage such a woefully ill-informed and ill-supported defensive campaign. He returned his gaze to the river as Lhamu made a lazy, climbing arc, turning toward Jain's mountain. _'The humans must be convinced to abandon their upland settlements, and concentrate defense on the river. Even if that's the enemy's objective, I see no other solution if protecting the population is Jiān's primary goal.'_ "Why are you flying about aimlessly?" he snapped at Rinzen as Lhamu changed direction yet again – she had been flying in ever-widening circles over the valley, and soon her revolutions would bring them back out over the river. "We must survey the valley from end to end!"

"I was waiting for you to make up your mind about where you wanted to go, since you're the expert," Rinzen replied cheerfully, "I'm just the human with the sky-bison, remember?"

Yǎn-sui growled low in his chest, aware that swiping off the impudent human's head would doubtless incur both the wrath of Lhamu and Jiān, and he was more immediately concerned with the mood of the former.

"Very well," he ground out, taking deep, calming breaths, "Fly us above this side of the river, down to where it flows out into the sea. This altitude is all right for now, but we will have to make a lower pass to fix each village accurately, in particular those that have already been targeted by demons."

"I can help you there," said Rinzen, even as he directed Lhamu seaward, "I've gone up and down this valley a couple times since I arrived a couple months back. I can tell you where most of the villages are from the air, even some of the individual farms up that way in the hills. And Lhamu can sniff out those villages that… that were attacked if I don't remember where they are."

"… That will be helpful," admitted Yǎn-sui.

"Jiān said something about a map," the human continued in a light tone, as if he had forgotten their earlier conversation, "If you need parchment and inks, I think I can get you in contact with the merchants who do trade around the river mouth. I have a line of credit with a couple of them for things like that."

"Yes, your… assistance is appreciated," he replied, feeling somewhat out of sorts. Jiān, he had to admit, had chosen this ally well, despite his annoying mannerisms. Such a frail human would be useless in a fight, but his keen insight and courage were admirable and the information he possessed would serve Yǎn-sui's purposes. Perhaps he could also be induced to convince the other humans to flee the...

"Rinzen, dive."

"Wha…?"

"Lhamu!" Yǎn-sui roared, "_Dive!__**NOW!**_"

Rinzen let loose a an oath as the sky-bison dropped like a stone, then yelped as a red-gold fireball whistled overhead and exploded where they had been only a moment before. "What the…?!"

"That was a fair greeting," Yǎn-sui remarked as Rinzen pulled at the reins, attempting to steady Lhamu. He grinned. "Lhamu, come about – I wish to return the favor."

"Are you crazy?!" the airbender demanded even as Lhamu began to turn, narrowly avoiding another fireball. "Someone's throwing fireballs at us! We need to get out of here!"

"Agreed," replied Yǎn-sui, "You'll get in the way, human. Lhamu, return him to Jiān, and report that I have engaged the enemy ten miles from our original position." He drew Tiào-fěi. "The battle begins now."

"Wait a minute, didn't you hear me?" demanded Rinzen as Lhamu swerved wildly to avoid yet another fireball, "You can't go…!" He looked back only to see an empty saddle. "…alone. Dammit, don't tell me he…!"

The wind screamed in Yǎn-sui's ears as he plummeted, eyes scanning the screening treetops. _'Already gone to ground, have you? Such ill-manners shall be corrected.'_ Drawing in a deep breath, he felt his chi and granted fire kindle and flare in anticipation of battle, melding seamlessly. _'Release unto me thy destruction, oh will of Heaven's Flame. I invoke the Inferno!'_ Blue-white fire roared out of his maw, slowing his descent and consuming the trees below, reducing them to ash to their very roots. Yǎn-sui landed in a crouch, the smoldering earth cracking and crunching under his weight. _'Hm, slightly overboard; I suppose the fire didn't appreciate being caged anymore than I did,'_ he reflected, surveying the extent of the destruction with satisfaction.

"Stop hiding, coward!" he declared, standing, "I have answered your challenge."

"Yes, you have."

Yǎn-sui turned, eyes narrowing at the figure approaching through the smoke. "Name yourself, renegade."

The black-skinned demon leveled his massive, saw-toothed pudao at Yǎn-sui. "I will give no name to you, Blue Spirit; you no longer have the right to demand it of me!" he spat, dark crimson eyes flaring.

He was a young demon, Yǎn-sui determined from his comparatively light build, although he was easily a good foot taller. A pair of scimitar-like grey horns jutted from high on his forehead. His armor, what there was of it, concealed what he recognized as that of an officer of the Southern White Army, its red sun-flare crests conspicuously torn from its black collar and white sleeves. _'The exploding fireballs from before – an artillery specialist.'_ His scarlet mane was tied up in the signature topknot of the servants of the Qiú niú, a son of Agni Yǎn-sui knew to be missing in battle and long supposed to be dead.

"Lieutenant."

The other demon started, eyes widening and pointed ears twitching in surprise as the point of his dao wavered and dropped.

"Lieutenant," Yǎn-sui repeated gravely, "Why have you abandoned your post?"

"I did no such thing!" the other demon roared, raising his dao and charging full-tilt at Yǎn-sui.

Yǎn-sui easily parried, letting the whelp stumble past him. There was little point in killing him, just yet. "Then why are you slaughtering humans in this valley so far from the battlefield?"

"This _is _my battlefield!" his opponent snarled, red-gold flames swirling up the length of his blade, "Now fight me, traitor!"

"'Traitor'?" Yǎn-sui echoed, caught off-guard. The demon came at him faster than expected, leaping up and striking downward with his flame-blade. Yǎn-sui blocked with both halves of Tiào-fěi crossed overhead, wincing as the other's flames exploded and swirled about them.

"Die!" the young demon screamed, dropping a smoking iron ball the size of a moon-peach at Yǎn-sui's feet and vaulting away.

_'… Damn.'_

_***BOOM!***_

The blast threw him clear across the field his fire had created; stars exploded across his vision as the back of his skull impacted with a tree trunk.

Tiào-fěi's left hilt slipped from his weakened grip.

The other demon was upon him in an instant. Yǎn-sui rolled out of the way just as the crackling blade slashed across the tree trunk at neck-height, cutting it in two. Yǎn-sui lunged at his opponent, attempting to slice through the tendons behind his left knee. The demon dodged, swiped downward while reaching behind him with his free hand…

_'That's where he's keeping his bombs,'_ Yǎn-sui realized, noticing the thick dragon-hide belt around the other's waist. He dove forward to avoid the blade, rolled, then sprang over his opponent's head and sliced through the belt that secured the large, sturdy munitions pouch at the small of his back.

"If you're going to fight me, do it without these toys," Yǎn-sui sneered, flinging the pouch away over the treetops before his opponent could activate them.

"I defeat my enemy by any means I have; that's what _you _told us to do, isn't it?!" the other howled, charging again, aiming another stroke down at Yǎn-sui's neck.

Yǎn-sui parried and kicked him across his midsection, sending him sprawling so his horns lodged deep in the dirt.

"Perhaps I did; but when did you decide I was your enemy?" he countered, "You are a soldier in the Army of the Heavenly Flame! I am your commanding officer! Explain yourself!" As he spoke, he called out to the left half of Tiào-fěi, beckoning it to return to his hand.

The other clambered to his feet, rage and embarrassment radiating from his trembling body like waves of heat as he swiped the ash and dirt from his face. "I serve no god!" he exclaimed, "I do not answer to black-maned scum who bow their horns to them either!"

Yǎn-sui narrowed his eyes. "So be it, nameless renegade. I hereby declare you a deserter, and by the authority bestowed upon me by glorious Agni as Supreme Demon General, I sentence you to death!"

Tiào-fěi's missing half leapt into his outstretched hand as he darted forward, lighting-quick. The other blinked as he seemed to vanish; too late, he slewed around, bringing up his dao to block Yǎn-sui's blow.

The pommel of Tiào-fěi's left half slammed into the base of his right horn, cracking the skull around it; for good measure, Yǎn-sui head-butted him, splintering the protective plating of his snout. With a groan, the other demon crumpled to his knees, dark ruby blood gushing from his face. Kicking away the felled demon's weapon, Yǎn-sui dragged him up by the front of his uniform.

"You will answer my questions," Yǎn-sui informed him in a low, pleasant voice, laying Tiào-fěi's right blade across his jugular, "Depending on if you answer to my satisfaction, your death will be quick and clean or slow and very painful. Do you understand me, deserter?"

"I… die… first…" the demon rasped, dazed eyes trying to fix on Yǎn-sui's face.

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Yǎn-sui promised him, "You will _beg_ for death before I'm through with you."

"The way you're stuffing your ugly mug up his snout, I'm pretty sure he wishes he was dead right now."

Yǎn-sui swerved around and ducked to avoid the links of chain, ending in a large iron weight, that had nearly snaked around his neck.

His prisoner, seizing the moment of his distraction, snapped his head around and bit down into Yǎn-sui's right wrist, nearly making him drop the blade. Yǎn-sui howled in pain and clouted him across the temple with his other hilt, knocking him loose. Just in time, he dodged another flying chain, which passed so close to his ear that it tore loose strands of his mane as it hissed by.

"Yo," greeted the green-skinned, white-maned demon, wriggling his fingers in a sort of salutation as he snapped his weapon back into his paw. His left eye was scarred over, the lid receding into an empty socket. The right gleamed solid white with near-manic glee.

"Punga, what in the name of the Abyss are you doing here?!" the young demon choked out, retrieving his dao and leveling it at the newcomer.

"This is the thanks I get for coming to save your happy bomb-throwing ass?" the demon called Punga sighed, scratching lazily at the thick base of his under-curled horn, "No wonder fire and water are always trying to massacre each other."

"I know you," Yǎn-sui breathed, eyes flicking over Punga, absorbing his strange garb, little more than a brief breast plate made of slabs of bone tied together with sinew and a slovenly dark blue robe tied about his waist. Chains criss-crossed his massive chest, indicating he wielded at least two more chain weapons other than the one in his paw. He reeked of human blood, which stained every aspect of this apparel and thickly coated the strands of mane around his wide maw. "The second Great Southern Polar campaign; you were among the soldiers of Pana. You lead the Fourth Division."

"My, my, my." Punga clicked his tongue against his fangs and shook his massive head, the bone beads tied into his braided beard clattering. "Don't I feel special? The Blue Spirit actually remembers me, although I must say, I almost didn't recognize you in that hideous human get-up. At least you had the grace not to try and hide your black mane." He glanced over at the younger demon. "Too bad he can't actually recall _you_, eh, Uutu? Guess you ain't exactly important enough to remember, being a whelp and all."

"Shut up!" Uutu blared, his dao flaring into red and gold once more, "I've had enough of your damned insolence, you bastard ice-snake!"

"_My_ 'insolence'?" Punga gasped, mockingly affronted, "This from the bloodless puppy who was abandoned on his first battlefield?" He pulled out the munitions pouch Yǎn-sui had thrown away from the recesses of his robe. "Maybe if you're polite, I'll return this to you."

Crimson eyes flew wide. "Damn you, Punga," he snarled, the flames embracing his dao dissolving nevertheless.

Punga glanced over at Yǎn-sui, who had assumed a wary defensive position, and shrugged. "Youngsters, eh? What can you do, other than kill 'em." He tossed the pouch carelessly to the other demon, who nearly dropped his weapon in order to catch it before it hit the ground. "Why don't you squat down over there and let the real warriors fight, eh? Master Blue Spirit is way out of your class."

"We're _supposed_ to fight as a unit!" retorted the young fire demon, paw digging searchingly through the pouch. He bared his fangs in a sneer. "If I recall, General Yǎn-sui has defeated you once already."

"… that's true," the ice demon agreed in a dangerously soft tone. He slitted his single eye at Yǎn-sui. "I gotta score to settle with you, black-mane."

"Whenever you're ready," Yǎn-sui replied, baring his fangs, "I'll take both of you on at once, if you're done bickering."

"Oh, aren't you the generous one?" Punga asked sarcastically, "You hear that, whelp? Your precious general is…"

"WHERE ARE THEY, PUNGA?!" Uutu roared, mane sticking straight out in his rage. His munitions pouch hit the ground in a heedless clatter, inactive bombs rolling every-which-way over the ash.

"Oh, _those_," drawled Punga after a moment of feigned bewilderment, "I figured since you were so careless as to let him chuck away your precious bombs in the middle of a fight, I'd better keep 'em safe for you. They're right here." So saying, Punga reached behind his breastplate and drew out what looked to Yǎn-sui like a rolled scroll wrapped in white silk and bound with a black ribbon.

Uutu made a noise that might have been a bitten-off oath of fury or a cry of dismay. Whatever it was, it made Punga grin cruelly. "Heh, you know, Blue Spirit, I think this little keepsake of my young friend's just might interest you."

"Don't you dare…!" Uutu cried as Punga cut the ribbon with a flick of his claw. With a flourish, he snapped the wrapping cloth, sending the objects within flying through the air, where they landed in the dust midway between him and Yǎn-sui.

They were a pair of horns, torn by the root from a skull, turning a darker shade of yellow with the passing of their owner.

Yǎn-sui's vision bled red.

"Ooo, looks like we're going to have to forget our little lover's quarrel after all, Uutu: here he comes," Punga observed merrily.

"_**UUUUUUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRAAAAUUUUUUGGGGGHHHHHH~!!!"**_ Yǎn-sui screamed, charging forward heedlessly, Tiào-fěi nearly forgotten in his hands.

Uutu and Punga leapt aside in opposite directions, Uutu flinging three bombs down at the enraged Yǎn-sui. Yǎn-sui ignored them, leaping up after him as the explosion served only to accelerate his ascent. Uutu swung his flame-blade wildly, but Yǎn-sui batted it aside with a snarl, ignoring the bite of red-gold fire. He opened his maw wide, summoning the raging inferno that would consume the other's bones to ash…

A chain snaked around his throat, cutting off his breath and slamming him into the ground. Howling, Yǎn-sui regained his feet and charged at Punga, who smirked maliciously, readying a second chain, weighted with a spiked ball. "That's it, come on and get a spike in the brain…" he muttered, swirling it faster and faster over his head, until the moment of perfect acceleration that he would let it loose to…

A sound of rushing wind overtook the whooshing of his whirling chain.

"What the…?"

"Grr-OWF!!" Even a demon cannot withstand a head-butt from a sky-bison flying full-tilt at his backside. Punga howled as he was sent high into the air, his weighted chain hurtling harmlessly over Yǎn-sui's head.

"Yǎn-sui, down!" Rinzen yelled, leaping out of Lhamu's saddle.

Blood-crazed as he was, Yǎn-sui instinctively registered the presence closing in behind him, and hit the dirt, rolling out of the path of Uutu's strike.

"Ugh!" Uutu grunted, as Rinzen's wall of air plowed straight into him, knocking him backward.

Yǎn-sui regained his feet, whirled… and slashed aside the daggers of ice released by Punga's chain, slicing off the weight that had been aimed at Rinzen's head.

"Whoa!" Rinzen yelped, starting back as the weight slammed into the earth beside him, "Thanks!"

"The appreciation is mutual," Yǎn-sui tossed over his shoulder as he moved between the human and the two demons. Lhamu also trundled forward to protect her airbender, her tail slapping up clouds of ash as she growled at Uutu and Punga.

"Hey!" exclaimed the offended human, "I can't see!"

"Looks like it's time to beat a tactical retreat," Punga drawled, rubbing at his bruised rear ruefully, "I've had enough playtime for now."

"But…!" Uutu protested, but Punga had already turned and sprinted for the cover of the trees.

"Get your ass in gear, and maybe I won't tell Milord you were playing against his orders!" Punga's voice floated back, punctuated with a cackle.

Uutu cursed, glaring at Yǎn-sui. "You won't walk away from our next meeting, traitor," he swore, whirling away in a cloud of smoke.

"That's a pretty bold declaration coming from someone who's running from a fight with his tail tucked between… whoa, hey, where do you think you're going?" Rinzen demanded, grabbing the back of Yǎn-sui's over-robe as he started after the fleeing demons.

"Human," Yǎn-sui said very slowly and patiently, "It is only out of regard for the fact that you interfered in my battle out of an admirable if misguided sense of obligation that I do not cut your arm off right now. _Let go.'_

"Not happening, my friend," the airbender retorted, "They _want_ you to follow them, right now, when you're angry and not thinking. They'll lure you onto ground of their choosing, maybe right into more like them, and where would Jiān be then?"

Yǎn-sui stiffened and slewed around to glare at the human. Rinzen instinctively brought his odd staff up as a guard, but did not yield his ground.

"… you are correct, human," he growled, lowering Tiào-fěi reluctantly, "I am obliged to report this matter to my master, since it seems _you_ failed to do so."

Rinzen smirked. "Hey, I was going to, until that other demon showed up; I figured Lhamu and I could even the odds."

"Surprisingly enough, you did," said the demon. He bowed to Lhamu. "My thanks, sky-bison. You are a true and valiant warrior."

"Hrrrrmmmmurrrrr," Lhamu replied, shuffling the ash with one paw abashedly.

"Ech, I suppose that just makes me the human along for the ride?" Rinzen asked sarcastically.

"You're also the tour guide, remember," Yǎn-sui reminded him, walking away.

"Hey, I thought we agreed…!"

"They are not my concern for the moment, human," the demon interrupted, scanning the ground. He spotted Huí's horns, coated with ash and half-buried in dirt kicked up by the battle. Kneeling, he transferred Tiào-fěi to one hand and picked up the discarded horns carefully, afraid they might crumble as Huí's head had. The slightest remainder of his friend's presence still lingered within them. _'Huí…'_ "Let us return immediately to Jiān," he said, rising and tucking Huí's horns into his sleeve, "We will postpone the aerial survey for today."

The human raised a quizzical eyebrow, but made no comment. "Sounds like a plan I can live with," Rinzen agreed, using Lhamu's forepaw to climb up to his customary seat on her head.

_'Today, you hide. Tomorrow, I will hunt you down and I will not rest until I have tasted your lifeblood,'_ Yǎn-sui swore, leaping up into the saddle, _'I swear it.'

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**A/N: **_reposted because the document upload got screwed up somehow._  
_


	14. Narrative: Of the Shade in the Flames

_**Tales of the Spirit Age: Fall of the Blue Spirit**_

Part XIII: _**Of the Shade in the Flames

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"… Yǎn-sui, having thus saved his servant, Rinzen of Air, and aware that his blood was still heated by anger, chose not to give pursuit to the traitor of fire and the trickster of water, but instead took up the horns of the fallen Huí, to bestow upon them the proper honors. Having thus answered the enemy's challenge, Yǎn-sui returned to the anxiously waiting river maiden, to tell her of what had occurred during his battle…

"'My lady, the enemy called me to give battle, and in the heat of the moment, I did so. They have retreated perforce. I crave that you grant me leave to continue to seek them out, for I shall not fail you.'

"The maiden assented, concerned only that the craven cowards might have given him injury.

"'I am not so weak that such renegades should deliver a wound to me,' responded Yǎn-sui, and so saying, he retired to a private place as Night drew her shroud over the valley.

"In that place, overshadowed by the silent branches of watchful trees, he drew forth his comrade's horns, only then allowing himself to express grief, in the manner of a true warrior.

"'Oh, mine loyal comrade,' spoke he, bowing his head over the horns, 'You gave your life for me, but I can only claim your horns as spoils from a cowardly enemy. As yet, I am powerless to avenge your death and desecration, for I must complete the task before me ere I am free to visit retribution upon the foul prince whose treachery demanded your noble sacrifice. Know this, where ever your shade might wander, that I shall cut down all those who have visited injury upon you.'

"'Having spoken his oath, he prepared to render the horns to ashes, but lo, they themselves began to burn brightly with tongues of golden flame, although the tongues did not consume them. From the fire the voice of Huí resounded:

"'My general! My general! My general!'

"The speaking horns tumbled from Yǎn-sui's hands. Upon touching the earth, the shade of the fallen Huí sprang forth in the form of the fire itself.

"Yǎn-sui stared in amazement, hardly daring to breathe as the shade turned blazing eyes upon him.

"'My general,' repeated the shade bending as if to bow to Yǎn-sui, 'I have heard you calling to me all these days but only now have I been able to answer! Forgive me!'

"'Are you truly my fallen comrade, oh shade in the form of flames? Or has the Shadowking chosen to visit me in this strange garb in order to test me?' asked Yǎn-sui, not daring to hope.

"'My general, it is I, Huí, your loyal subordinate and none else,' declared the shade, bowing once more, 'I have come to render what aid I might to your battle! I may not have my body, but my desire to fight beside you remains as strong as ever!' The flames blazed brighter with the shade's eagerness and thus one of the horns began to crack.

"Yǎn-sui saw this and a great and heavy sorrow overcame him. 'Nay, my loyal comrade,' spoke he with deep sadness, 'for your days of battle are over. All that is left for you is the unending darkness that greets us all, for even now, you are fading before my eyes.'

"The shade of Huí stilled, growing smaller as if shrinking in shame. 'Aye, my general, you speak truly,' sighed the shade as if it were weeping, 'As I am, I can no longer fight. But, I can still be of use to you!'

"'You have done enough, Huí,' bade Yǎn-sui, 'Now you must…'

"'My general! Hear me now! I may not be able to return, so hear me, I beg you!' pleaded the shade, flaring up once more, 'The maiden of the river, though she is of the blood our master's enemy, is yet truly your master, for her life is within you! The bonds between you are now much deeper than you can imagine if you will only accept her as your master! My general, place your trust in her as you placed your trust in me, and the tides of this war shall be revealed to you!

"So speaking, the shade departed. With great care, Yǎn-sui gathered up the horns, still sensing his loyal comrade's presence within them although the rift had deepened further. 'Perchance, you will come to me again, much needed in an hour of darkness, my friend,' spoke he, 'Until such time, I shall take your words to heart.'

"And thus upon the words of loyal Huí's shade did Yǎn-sui accept the maiden of the river as his true master…"

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**A/N: **Notice here that Huí is practically poetic when he talks - it's quite a common theme in mythology that the hero has a servant/subodinate who is loyal unto/beyond death, and who provides essential "humanizing" character development, or at least helps to illustrate the hero as a compassionate warrior. Huí's actual relationship with our dear demon general is more complex, as the next chapter will show!


	15. Of Visions and Tribulations

_**Tales of the Spirit Age: Fall of the Blue Spirit**_

Part XIV: _**Of Visions and Tribulations

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_He was in a dark place… how? Impossible. He had only walked a little ways from Jiān and Rinzen. But the darkness was not threatening, just… there. Huí's horns in his sleeve seemed to take on the properties of lead, their weight reminding him of his failure. All he could do was give them the rites of fire, hoping Huí's spirit would understand the slow pace of his vengeance from the far side of the Abyss. He took them out of their hiding place, vaguely noticing they were the only light in the darkness._

_"Boss! Damn, it's good to finally see you again!"_

_Y__ǎ__n-sui dropped the horns and reached for Tiào-fěi, but his weapon was not in his hand as he remembered it __**should**__ have been._

_"Who's there?!" he demanded, whirling around, every which way like a confused wind spirit in a typhoon, eyes prying the impenetrable black. "Show yourself!"_

_"Boss, I'm right here – you just gotta calm down a bit. It's kinda hard for me unless you open your eyes."_

_"Huí?" The name escaped him in a whispered breath laden with trepidation and dared hope. A horrifying thought immediately occurred to him. "Koh, if this is your idea of a joke…"_

_"What? No! Boss, can't you __**see**__?!" Huí's voice, undeniably, now a nearly-deafening battle-cry. "I'm Huí! Open your eyes or I'll open them for you!"_

_Light like a blade cut the Stygian morass, a purifying red-gold fire. Tiào-fěi materialized in Y__ǎ__n-sui's searching paw (it was __**his**__ paw, not a glamored human hand), singing from its scabbard to meet the edge of a massive ax that would have cut him in two from horn to toe._

_"Whoa, it worked! Guess all I had to do was piss you off!" Huí remarked gleefully, still pressing his attack despite the fact Y__ǎ__n-sui had stopped it dead and was now glaring up at him between their crossed weapons._

_"Huí, only you would be stupid enough to try the same opening move three hundred and forty-one times," he remarked, disdain dripping like venom from his fangs._

_Huí narrowed his eyes, his maw moving soundlessly as he tried to calculate. "Was it really that many times?" he asked, finally giving up._

_"Not really," said Y__ǎ__n-sui, side-stepping and shoving Huí's ax to one side so he fell over, flat on his face, "I stopped keeping track about fifty years ago."_

_"Oh. So it's probably more times by now, right?" Huí said, sitting up and rubbing his snout sheepishly, "I really ought to get some new material."_

_"I keep telling you that!" his superior snapped, offering his paw._

_Huí's paw swept through Y__ǎ__n-sui's as if it was not there._

_"Sorry, boss," Huí mumbled, climbing to his feet, his ax dissolving into the shadows, "I used a lot of energy just trying to wake you up. I didn't think I'd…"_

_"No matter," Y__ǎ__n-sui interrupted gruffly, turning away and sheathing Tiào-fěi, "I'm just relieved you didn't come to drag me along with you to the Abyss."_

_"… Boss, you're not dead yet," Huí pointed out._

_Y__ǎ__n-sui sighed into his paw. "Never mind."_

_"Oh. Right then." Huí scratched at his fang awkwardly. "By the way, boss, that fire demon you took my horns from… he wasn't the one who… you know…"_

_Y__ǎ__n-sui whirled around. "You know who it was?!"_

_Huí looked abashed. "I can say it wasn't __**nobody**__. Or, at least I'd like to. It had to be a demon, right? But when I was… pushed aside… and my horns were taken and those words came out of my mouth… I felt __**nothing.**__ It was worse than death, worse than being stuck in between like I am now." He actually shuddered in fear._

_"Whoever they are, they'll pay, I promise you," Y__ǎ__n-sui said._

_"Yeah, I know," his subordinate said, smiling once again, "Nothing can beat the Blue Spirit! Oh, speaking of which, I know about that life-debt thing you fell into with the river chick – talk about lucky!"_

_Y__ǎ__n-sui frowned. "If you're trying to be clever, Huí, I advise against it."_

"_Aw, boss, c'mon!" Huí whined, warming up to the subject, "She's nothing like any of the other gods we've ever met. I mean, she gave part of her life to you – that's pretty unusual."_

"_She's trying to achieve a goal, and she believed it was worth the risk on her part. I doubt very much it had anything to do with me personally," he replied._

_Huí snorted. "Boss, don't get mad, but I think you're trying to bullshit me and yourself. I'm not __**that**__ stupid."_

_Y__ǎ__n-sui growled to himself, but otherwise did not comment._

"_Boss, I don't know much about how a life-debt works," Huí ventured, "but since she's your master and gave you part of her life, even if she's not a fire god, doesn't that mean you got something special with her now? I mean, remember how some of the water demons we've fought got all sorts of powers from __**their**__ masters?"_

_Y__ǎ__n-sui narrowed his eyes. "What did you have in mind?"_

"_I mean, like… walking on water and stuff. I know you can run across water, boss, but you can't stand still on it for very long. What if…?"_

"_Such a thing is possible only for water demons and you know it," he interrupted, mentally shuddering at the idea of stepping __**voluntarily**__ onto the river and being unable to defy its inexorable pull. "I doubt very much my contract of expedience will enable me to do such a thing."_

"_But boss, you're always the one who says, 'It's only impossible because you've never tried to do it,'" Huí said, momentarily adopting Y__ǎ__n-sui's commanding parade field bark, "Maybe if you just give it a shot."_

"_We'll see," Y__ǎ__n-sui admitted reluctantly, not liking his own words thrown back in his face. Then again, Jiān had accomplished several things with her power he had not thought possible. Perhaps…_

"_It would be interesting to see if you can walk over the sea instead of having to sprint across it anymore. Give you time to enjoy the scenery and the like," Huí continued, apparently not satisfied to let the topic go._

"_Scenery… hmmm…" pondered Y__ǎ__n-sui._

_Huí looked confused. "Eh?"_

"_Water gods use their element as a medium to see for many leagues," Y__ǎ__n-sui said, thinking aloud, "Their demon servants can do the same, to a limited extent, but only if they have a strong personal bond to the god – otherwise, gods don't take the risk." He bared his fangs in a triumphant smile that made Huí flinch slightly. "At the very least, I will… help my master to focus her vision to detect what matters on the river and its tributaries. We can deny them any surprises on the water!"_

"_So… the river chick's actually going to be really useful in this fight, right boss?" Huí asked hesitantly, after thinking it over for several minutes._

"_Yes, useful indeed… what is it?" Y__ǎ__n-sui asked, seeing a smile that could only be called a leer spread across Huí's face._

"_Seriously, boss, you really lucked out in landing a master like her. I mean, she's too skinny for my taste…"_

_Y__ǎ__n-sui tilted his head. "Huí…"_

"… _and maybe a little too short but…"_

"_Huí…"_

"… _she's __**definitely**__ got a perfect pair of…"_

"_**HUÍ**__!" Y__ǎ__n-sui bellowed._

"_Huh?"_

"_I'd appreciate it if you keep your lewd comments about my master to yourself for the time being," Y__ǎ__n-sui pointed out._

"_Oh, right. Sorry, boss." The lewd, knowing smirk still did not disappear; Y__ǎ__n-sui decided to let it slide, for once._

"_Will you return to the Abyss now?" he asked instead._

_Huí shrugged. "Do I have to? I mean, I get a little tired appearing like this, but… I'd like to stay and help you, boss. I mean, if you're okay with that."_

"_I won't order you to depart, if that's what you're asking," Y__ǎ__n-sui replied, refusing to acknowledge the small warm blossom of relief, "I will keep hold of your horns, and perform the rite when I have both your desecrator's and betrayer's heads to offer alongside them."_

"_Sounds like a good idea – thanks, boss!" said Huí, bowing clumsily, "Be seeing you then!"_

_With that, he turned and vanished into the black, and suddenly, Y__ǎ__n-sui was waking to a sky full of stars and a waning moon…

* * *

  
_

"Your saddle should sit more comfortably from now on," Yǎn-sui informed the sky-bison as he came around her first left shoulder, "The buckles will not dig into your shoulders or ribs anymore."

Lhamu rumbled affectionately, nosing him in the chest and breathing a gentle puff of air into his face.

"Just be certain to remain alert and return with your human in one piece," he replied, patting her cheek and touching his brow in salute.

The beat made a sound like a chuckle, her tail slapping the ground in slow flaps that swirled the thick, early morning fog.

"You know, if I was a jealous man, I might get resentful about how sweet she is on you all of a sudden," Rinzen observed drily, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and muttering darkly about demons and pre-dawn wakings.

"I think it's cute," Jiān supplied before Yǎn-sui could respond. Lhamu gave her a warm nose-nuzzle in greeting. "Good morning to you too, Mumu!"

"'Cute' has nothing to do with it, and neither does 'sweet,'" Yǎn-sui huffed, "Lhamu has accepted me as a comrade, just as I have recognized her as a fellow warrior. That is all."

Rinzen rolled his eyes, kicking a last bit of sand over the breakfast fire's dying embers. "You really need to work on your sense of humor, my friend. Unless demons don't have them."

"When I find a situation humorous, I'll be certain to inform you," Yǎn-sui replied.

"Will you be all right on your own, Rinzen?" Jiān asked worriedly, "Maybe we should just forget about the mapping. If you or Lhamu get hit with a fireball because Yǎn-sui wasn't there to prevent it…"

"I won't, Lady Jiān, no worries," Rinzen said cheerfully, "Lhamu can outfly anything a demon can throw at us!"

_'Unless said demon can also fly,'_ Yǎn-sui cynically observed to himself. "As we discussed last night, it is highly unlikely Uutu will waste his energy on a mere human or beast," Yǎn-sui reminded her, "He attacked for personal reasons; I, not Rinzen or Lhamu, was his target." He glanced at Rinzen. "You might have trouble when we run into Punga again, or at least Lhamu will. He'll want to return the favor she paid him, but I wouldn't worry unless you're on the ground. As I recall, his long-range strike capability is limited to the length of his chains."

"And from his parting shot, I don't think any other demons, where ever or whatever they are, are interesting in going after someone flying in the sky, not with all the humans on the ground for eating," the airbender agreed.

"Rinzen!" Jin exclaimed, shocked.

"Hn. You're beginning to think like a demon; good for you, human," Yǎn-sui said approvingly, grinning slightly at Jiān's scandalized expression, "All the same, take care today. You're of no use to us dead."

"Thanks for the compliment and the care," Rinzen remarked wryly, vaulting onto Lhamu's head and taking up the reins. "I know what to look for. We'll be flying around downstream until the mists burn off, unless I find what you want. See you in Jiang Hui at sunset." With a whistle to Lhamu, human and sky-bison lifted off the ground, disappearing almost immediately into the grey mass of fog.

"He'll be all right," Jiān said, staring up into the still-eddying mists, "Lhamu's very protective. She won't let anything happen to him. Or herself."

"As I've seen," Yǎn-sui agreed, aware that Jiān had spoken more to reassure herself than him. _'Where she gets all the energy to worry about so many helpless creatures is beyond me.' _"Jiān, we have much to do. Let's be off." He picked up the boat, which he had placed high up on the bank to prevent it from drifting away during the night and set it on the water.

"Jiang Hui is only three hours from here," Jiān said, alighting in the boat and holding it in place for Yǎn-sui, "We can visit the next village downriver and…"

"There is some other business I wish to attend to first," Yǎn-sui interrupted, climbing in beside her and crouching down at her feet as usual.

"Oh?" Jiān guided the boat into the current.

"Yes. We need to go mid-river to… conduct a few experiments."

* * *

"Aside from the fish… there are some children playing the water. Five or six, they're moving around quite a lot. Their mothers are doing their laundry. There's a fish net upstream and one man is checking it. Well, he's taking it in and out of the water as he moves along."

"Utterly fascinating," Yǎn-sui remarked flatly, "Anything else?"

"If you mean demonic, no," Jiān replied, opening her eyes and looking over at him.

Yǎn-sui stood, avoiding the edge of the small island which was little more than a glorified sandbar. The boat took up most of the space, which meant he had had to crouch most uncomfortably close to the water while he directed Jiān to test the limits of her power to see and sense anything that moved through her river. "You might not know the difference, especially if the demon is that far away. If he's dampening his power or moving quickly…"

"I can sense anything moving across the water, no matter the speed," Jiān said firmly, "Such a thing would be so out of place I couldn't help but notice."

"We've already established your vision clouds the farther away you try to see, particularly if you attempt to focus on things moving through the tributary waters of the river. We should test your ability to track and estimate approaches."

"You're right," Jiān said. She sighed, drawing in the streams of manifested chi that radiated out from under her feet like a net of silver spider threads as she stood on the river's rippling surface. "I've always used my water-vision to help fishermen and to prevent flooding, but I never thought to use it like this. If I had, maybe I could have prevented some of the earlier attacks or at least given people some warning."

"It is possible," agreed Yǎn-sui, "But only a fool dwells on what could have been. We will continue to develop your potential so that no demon can use the river to attack your precious humans ever again."

She smiled gratefully at him, the exertion of the last several hours telling in her face and the slump of her shoulders even through the veils of her hat and the lingering mists. "Sounds like a good idea. How do you want to test my tracking?"

"I will run courses across the river, but not right now," he told her, eying the water distastefully, "Now we will experiment on me."

"Experiment on you, wha… why are you taking your clothes off?!" Jiān demanded, yanking the brim of her hat down as Yǎn-sui began to loosen the ties of his hakama.

"Water demons have the ability to not only run, but walk and fight on and below water," Yǎn-sui explained, folding the garment and placing it on top of his discarded overrobe, "Punga is just such a demon, and, as yet, I don't know if he's the only one. But since I have decided the river itself is the field which we will force the enemy to fight upon, it only makes sense that I should be able to use it just as well. I can't very well fight standing in a boat." Out of consideration for Jiān's sensitivities, Yǎn-sui decided not to remove his loincloth. "You'll have to release that hat sometime, Jiān," he remarked patiently, setting Tiào-fěi on the stack of clothes.

"I think I know what you want to try," she said, speaking quickly in a high-pitched voice, steadfastly retaining her firm grip on the woven brim, "But must you _really_ take your clothes off for it?"

"Must _you_ really be so inordinately shy about the body of your slave, milady?" Yǎn-sui retorted, "I'm only your tool. Why are you ashamed to look at me thus?"

"…" With great reluctance, Jiān tilted her head up, peering at him through the veils. "I'm not… ashamed," she said, "And I certainly don't think of you as a tool, I thought I told you that. It's because…"

Yǎn-sui inclined his head at her. "I'm even guised in the glamour you created for me. I would think this human mask would be more pleasing to you than my true monstrosity."

"'Monstrosi…' Is THAT what you think I think of you?" she exclaimed angrily. The river swirled around her feet as she glared at him. "I'll have you know, I can see through the glamour like it's not even there! I can _always_ see your true form, like I'm seeing it now! And just so you know, you're very…" She clapped a hand over mouth.

"… 'very'?" Yǎn-sui echoed, mystified at her mannerisms and the riot of expressions flitting over her face.

"It's nothing!" she practically shouted, stamping her foot, causing a sizable wave to radiate out over the water, "Now, stop being silly about how you look to me or I look to you or… or your love of running around naked! I'm going to help you walk on water!"

Yǎn-sui cocked his head, but decided she was agitated enough that it would be unwise to remind her _she_ had been the one making a ridiculous fuss over the state of his (un)dress. _'She __**chooses**__ to see through her own glamour?'_ He shrugged. No matter. She was strange, even for a goddess; attempting to divine her "reasoning" would be a futile exercise.

He looked down at the water, scant inches from his toes.

"Um… Yǎn-sui? Are you going to step off that sandbar anytime soon?" Jiān asked after a long stretch of silence.

"I'm just trying to think of _how_ in the name of the Abyss I'm supposed to _walk_ on _water_," he growled, "It's not my favorite element, as you can imagine!"

"Well, you've said before you can run on water, right?" she pointed out helpfully, "How do you do that?"

"By getting up enough speed," he replied, scuffing a pebble into the river and watching it sink, "If I have a stretch of ground to reach a full sprint, I can run several miles over open water if there is no wind to slow me down."

"I'm assuming that that's not enough ground that you're standing on right now," Jiān said, pulling at a lock of hair as she furrowed her brow.

"I need at least a half mile, a mile is better," Yǎn-sui informed her, rocking back on his heels.

"Well then, all you need is some help; give me your hands."

Yǎn-sui snapped his head up to stare at her. "What?"

"Paws. Whatever, just give them to me," she said briskly, striding forward and grabbing them.

He instinctively jerked them away. "Milady, I cannot fight with you holding onto me in such a manner."

"And you won't," she said, grabbing them back; she had a strong grip which defied his resistance, even though his hands easily engulfed hers. "This is just to get you started. Trust me, I've tried it before."

"With whom?" he wanted to know.

"With the children, when we play games. You're stalling now, just give it a try! I'll keep you from sinking."

Growling low in his throat about being compared to those scraggly whelps from the previous day, Yǎn-sui took a hesitant step onto the crystalline blue surface. His foot sank slightly, as though the water was suddenly thick mud or clay. It also glowed slightly silver, and he realized Jiān must be channeling a large amount of chi to support his weight.

"Now the other one," Jiān coached, squeezing his hands encouragingly, although he was gripping hers so tightly he could feel every slender bone beneath the pale skin.

He took a deep breath and pushed off the sandbar.

"Whoa!" Jiān yelped, sliding backwards as he almost slammed into her. "I wanted you to step, not jump!" All the same, she laughed upon seeing the expression on his face. "I know you're a fire demon, but just try to think of the water as your friend. It won't hurt you."

"Easy for you to say, river goddess," he snarled, staring disbelievingly down at his own feet. Ripples of silver danced around them, changing in pattern every time he shifted his feet. His left horn felt oddly detached, as though it was responding to something other than his own chi. _'It's because of her, because of the life she gave to heal it,'_ he thought, resisting the urge to scratch at it. He looked down at Jiān, who was staring at their clasped hands with an odd expression on her face. "What?"

"Oh. Um. I was just wondering when you wanted to try walking, since it seems you're capable of standing in one place," she replied hurriedly, meeting his gaze, "Ready?" She stepped backwards, pulling him.

Yǎn-sui stepped after her, concentrating on keeping his balance. The surface dipped and surged, pulsing like a living thing. The small island retreated as Jiān drew him further along, walking backwards step-by-step and pausing each time to let him follow.

"You seem to be getting more confident," she said after a while, breaking the silence that had reigned throughout the exercise. The mists had burned away, but Agni's eye was still shrouded by a thick blanket of grey clouds that smelled of the promise of rain. He could see the island and the boat as small as a pebble behind them when he glanced over his shoulder. He estimated they had gone little more than a quarter mile. He could sense Tiào-fěi on the edge of his consciousness; he had been able to summon the blades across a wider distance before, but never over water. "Shall we circle back, and try going a bit faster?"

"Yes. Also, let go of one of my paws and walk beside me," he said after a moment's reflection.

"It's easier for me to keep you above water this way," she pointed out immediately, "It's how I always do it with the children."

"My point exactly," Yǎn-sui replied, slightly irked that she had, yet again, equated him with human spawn, "It's the only way to know if I can eventually walk on this river without having to physically touch you."

"Well, when you put it so nicely, how can I refuse?" she muttered sarcastically, releasing his left hand. His left leg sank immediately up to the knee.

"You did that on purpose," he remarked, attempting to pull it out without falling over.

"No, I didn't," she replied, although the small, momentary smirk on her face made him doubt she was being entirely honest, "I'll get you out. Hold still."

Yǎn-sui felt something push up against the sole of his foot until he stood more or less firmly with both feet on the surface once more. His left horn throbbed uncomfortably. "How much effort does something like that take?" he asked her, sensing the strain in her body through their joined hands.

"Not much," said Jiān, "It's keeping the area around you steady that takes the most effort."

"Water is a highly changeable element, much like air," Yǎn-sui noted, "Although it's more stable than fire, your control is admirable."

"Thanks," she said shortly, "So, shall we test it further?"

"Hn." As they walked, Yǎn-sui observed how much more effort Jiān had to put into keeping him steady. _'Walking on water is not a problem for her because she __**is**__ the river. But it seems she has to focus much more to keep another afloat.'_ Was it because he was a demon, a being affiliated with fire, or a little bit of both? Perhaps it was simply his weight.

"What are you doing?" Jiān gasped as Yǎn-sui's hand slipped from hers.

"Experimenting," Yǎn-sui managed before he sank out of sight.

"Yǎn-sui!" Jiān gathered the river at the spot where he sank and pulled, like a fisherman net a net up from the water. Yǎn-sui's head and shoulders broke the surface.

"And that's why I took my clothes off," he said, coughing. Being underwater, however briefly, had been extremely uncomfortable. As certain as he was that Jiān did not intend to harm him, being wrapped in the chords of her chi did not make the experience any more enjoyable.

"Why did you do that?! You should have given me more warning, I could have…!" she yelled at him, making the river roil and froth.

"I can swim, so do not worry about me drowning," he reassured her, pretending not to notice the agitation that swirled around him, "If you wouldn't mind loosing me from your grip, milady..."

"'Grip'? Ah." Jiān breathed out slowly and Yǎn-sui felt the bonds of her chi slacken and fade. The water grew calm and Yǎn-sui gave an internal sigh of relief. He had to tread against the current to stay in one place and keep his head above water, but at least he did not have to rely on Jiān's power.

"Now, step back; I would like to try something else."

Raising her eyebrows and huffing slightly, Jiān took exactly one step backwards and folded her arms, glaring down at him sternly.

_'Control of an element is a matter of controlling chi – perhaps Huí had the right idea after all,'_ he thought, closing his eyes. By virtue of the bonds of the life-debt, his chi was intertwined with Jiān's; perhaps that explained her ability to safely heal his horn (although there had been that moment of danger when he lost control of his own chi). If he could only…

"Aren't you getting cold just sitting there like that? What exactly is it you're trying to do?" Jiān asked, sounding both amused and mystified.

Yǎn-sui slitted an eye open to glance at her. She was crouching down on the surface with a wry expression on her face, peering at him like he had seen the children scrutinize the malformed badger-toad.

"My inner fire regulates my temperature, but thank you for your concern," he said, closing his eye again, "Since you asked, I am attempting to combine my chi with the life-force you left in my horn in order to draw it down into my feet. Perhaps then I can control the river where they touch without having to rely on your power."

"My chi is still in your horn?" Jiān asked, sounding surprised.

"Yes." Yǎn-sui growled, irritated by the distraction. "You didn't know that?"

"Well no, otherwise I wouldn't have asked, now would I?" she pointed out.

He grunted.

"… So… how do you…?"

"I don't know!" he snapped, "That's why I called this an 'experiment'! Now, will you _please_ be quiet and let me concentrate! Milady!"

"Can I help at all?" she ventured after several moments.

"I don't think so," he ground out. He had managed to focus on the stream of her chi, defining it in relation to his own. But how to combine them? He could control the fire Agni had granted him well enough, but pure chi was a different matter…

"Are you sure?"

"… Yes."

"I'm only asking because you said that I couldn't heal your horn, but I managed to do that, didn't I?"

"That's neither here nor there, milady," he said, trying hard not to growl or snap, "That was an accident; you merely relied on luck and, might I add, put yourself in severe danger when you did so."

"It's unfair how you're allowed to be impulsive and I'm not," she said.

"If milady has a _well-thought out_ theory, I would love to hear it," he retorted sarcastically, "If not, can you _please_…"

Without warning, Jiān reached our and seized his left horn.

It was as though he had been struck with a bolt of Agni's cold fire; chi surged through his body, his and hers suddenly one and inextricable. The water closed over his head, but he was not afraid. _'Down,'_ he thought, or perhaps it was her or perhaps the chi moved of it own will. Although his eyes were closed he could see miles in all directions, his vision wending and whirling through currents that coursed over rocks, through roots of trees, chasing fish and wooden hulls of boats, and weaving through the anchoring artificial roots of human dwellings built on the water. It was a dizzying maelstrom of images and sensations that he could make no sense of, and it threatened to drag him down further to a point he could not escape. Fear sparked, but he turned it away. _'Lift,'_ he (they) thought (said), and the water answered his (their) will, raising his body until the soles of his feet rested on the surface.

Ever so slowly, he opened his eyes, staring into the impossibly deep blue of Jiān's. "You got taller all of a sudden," he said carefully, not certain if he still had control over his own thoughts or voice.

"I'm using the river to lift me up so I can keep hold of your horn," she answered slowly, as though from a dream, "You're quite a bit taller than me, you know."

"Ah." Yǎn-sui blinked, glanced down at his feet, and saw that she was indeed standing on a column of water like some statue on display in Agni's gallery. He also noticed that the glow of chi at his feet was no longer silver; rather, it swirled with cerulean and dark shadows – his own chi, manifested with Jiān's.

"Before," Jiān said, "when you were underwater… you saw it, didn't you? You saw the river and everything in it, the way I would."

"I certainly hope that wasn't how you see," he said, "I couldn't make head or tail of that jumble." He concentrated on the strange sensation of their intertwined chi, now entirely focused in his feet. The only thing he could relate it to was when he drew upon Agni's fire to summon the inferno. _'A perilous control, then,'_ he thought, _'easily lost. This will require much more practice.'_

"Do you think it's all right for me to let go of your horn now?" she asked.

"We can only try."

Jiān nodded and slowly drew away. Yǎn-sui felt the chi immediately begin to disperse, like mist before the sun. Jiān grabbed him again as he began to sink. Mercifully, the flood of visions did not crash down on him again as he regained his firm foothold. "Hm…"

"Well, I don't think this is any better than holding hands," Jiān remarked, thinking aloud. She glanced at him. "I meant, any better for fighting!" she added quickly, "It would look pretty silly with me clinging to your head with you running around with your swords fighting demons, wouldn't it?" As if imagining the scene, she snorted with laughter and let go of his horn again.

He managed to retain control for two seconds before his focus slipped and Jiān had to, once again, grab his horn.

"You're right, it looks quite ridiculous," he agreed, "But I think it's possible for me to learn to control this. We will keep trying. But first…"

"Hm?"

"Let's move closer to the island."

"Good idea."

* * *

"Aaaah," Jiān sighed in frustration, clicking her tongue and looking up at the reddening sky, which was only just clearing of ragged rainclouds, "It's almost sunset. There's no way we can get to Jiang Hui now to meet with Rinzen in time!" She glanced at Yǎn-sui, who was engaged in wringing rainwater from his garments with ironic vigor. "Unless you want to try running there."

"No, thank you," he said, snapping his hakama out straight and regarding them dubiously, "My progress thus far, while far beyond my expectations, precludes attempting such a feat."

"Rinzen was right, you _do_ need to work on your sense of humor," she muttered, stretching and dancing lightly over the river around the island, skipping from one ripple to the next.

"And _you_ have an excess of energy and willfulness," he replied, discarding the hakama in disgust, "We will take the boat downriver at whatever speed you want. Rinzen knows to wait for us."

"Would you like me to dry those for you?" she offered, after sticking her tongue out at him under her veils.

"No, we have no time to waste," he said, bundling the clothes together and putting them and Tiào-fěi into the boat before pushing it off the island, "If Rinzen has found the necessary location, we need to begin moving the humans as soon as possible." Taking a deep breath, he stepped out onto the river, keeping one hand on the boat. He walked it around the island once, twice, three times… his focus began to slip and he leapt into it before he could sink. "No, I still can't run," he said to himself.

"We'll try again tomorrow," Jiān said, gliding over to him and stepping into the boat, "Or after we get to Jiang Hui. For now, rest; you look like you need it."

"Hnnrph," he growled, less offended by the concern in her voice and eyes than he should be. He was just about to do as she suggested when…

"What is it?" Jiān asked as Yǎn-sui suddenly leapt out of the boat, unsheathing Tiào-fěi in mid-air and landing on the island.

"Go downriver, now," he ordered, staring up into the sky, "I'll come to you after I'm done with him."

"'Him'?" Jiān's startled inquiry was lost in the sudden roar of wind.

Yǎn-sui saluted the wind-demon as he plunged from the clouds. "I was wondering when you'd come down," he muttered, well-aware that exposed and in the middle of the river, he could not defend against any attack the demon would use; demons of air were infamous for their use of archery and tearing wind attacks. His only choice was to attack, to meet the other head-on in one leap…

Before he could act on his determined strategy, the wind demon suddenly changed course, his wide brown leathern wings snapping open as he slowed to a hover just above the river and beyond the length of any jump Yǎn-sui could achieve from a standing position. His breastplate bore no insignia, though Yan-sui could discern a scarred patch in the center where one might have been. Other than a kilted wrap of linen gone yellow with age, the demon wore only greaves and gauntlets in the same style as his breastplate.

Another demon, smaller than any demon Yǎn-sui had ever seen, umber mane braided into a long tail and yellow skin protected by nothing save a belted tunic of lizard hide, perched like a grotesque child on the wind demon's broad shoulder. He clung with one long-clawed paw to the wind-demon's upsweeping black horn; his own horns were little more than dun-stubs jutting from the top of his skull.

"We, Anu, wind-demon and Hau, sand-demon, stand before you," the wind-demon intoned formally, his voice like the groan of an oncoming storm through hollow trunks of deceased forest giants. His brilliant ice-blue eyes shifted to Jiān, who now stood beside Yǎn-sui, the boat drifting unattended downriver. He inclined his head to her, his tan mane momentarily blanketing his diminutive hanger-on. "Goddess of the River Jiān, I greet thee. Forgive my rudeness, but I shall address thy slave, the black-mane beside thee."

"He's not my slave, he's…!"

"Kee-hee-hee-hee!" the sand-demon snickered, gnashing his fangs, which jutted up from his lower jaw, "Black-mane!"

"I am Yǎn-sui, fire-demon and servant of Lord Agni of Heaven's Flame, slave of Goddess of the River Jiān by debt owed," Yǎn-sui spat, bristling at the impudence, "I know your names, but are you renegades, who have no master to name, or are you deserters, who cower in fear of your masters' wrath?" He gripped Tiào-fěi tightly, preparing for any sign that Anu would use the crossbow that hung from the belt about his waist. Although, from all the rumors Yǎn-sui had heard regarding him, Yǎn-sui wondered if he would even need it.

Hau's reply was to stick out his long black tongue and make a disgusting squelching noise with it.

"We recognize no god as our masters," Anu said, ignoring Hau, "I only address you, black-mane, because our comrades did so yesterday and to delay would dishonor us."

"So, you make the same claim as that whelp Uutu," Yǎn-sui drawled, "How impressive. Let me show you how I deal with such arrogance." He stepped out onto the river, placing himself squarely between the demons and Jiān.

"Fight, fight, fight!" Hau gibbered, springing onto the top of Anu's head and jumping up and down with excitement. He pulled at Anu's horns impatiently. "Let's fight! Uutu and Punga stole some fun, why can't we?" he whined.

"Because we are not supposed to," Anu explained, as though to a slow child, "Now, get down from there or I will not let you fight him next time."

Hau whimpered and flung himself from Anu's head, sprawling over his shoulder so that his rear and feet faced Yǎn-sui.

"Even if you do not intend to fight me, I will answer that wretch's insult!" Yǎn-sui flared, wrath making him tremble. Vaguely, he felt Jiān's power swell up under his feet; he had lost control of the water in his anger.

"You have no honor to exact retribution for, black-mane," Anu retorted with a cold sneer, "You _dare_ demand satisfaction? Patricide! Filth! Take your accursed blades and run them through your body so you no longer blight this world with your existence." He turned his head. "I refuse to fight you. My comrades might have cause to, but I shall never soil myself in such a way."

"What are you talking about?!" Jiān demanded, pushing past Yǎn-sui, "How _dare_ you say such things about Yǎn-sui! I'm not just going to stand here and let you insult him!" Raising her hands, she drew the river up into twin towering waves, which she flung at Anu and Hau.

Anu merely lofted into the air with a sweep of his wings to avoid the thoughtless gesture. "Goddess, there will come a time that I will act with no mercy against thee. But until then, I say only to stay out of our way." With that, he wheeled and flew up higher over the river, Hau giving a parting salute of an obscene hand-gesture from his vantage point before the pair disappeared over the crest of the cliffs that hugged the riverbank.

"Like hell I will!" Jiān shouted after him, kicking the river in frustration as they vanished. She whirled on Yǎn-sui. "Why did you just _stand_ there?!" she demanded, "You're the Blue Spirit! You've got so much pride you practically bite my head off when I offer to help you with anything! Why did you just let him say such hor… Yǎn-sui?"

"The boat has probably drifted far downstream by now, milady," Yǎn-sui stated, stepping back onto the island to retrieve Tiào-fěi's discarded sheathe. He slid the paired blades into it. "I will run, as you suggested. I will need your assistance, however."

"Y-yes, but…" Jiān said, anger forgotten as she stared at him, "Yǎn-sui?"

"Yes, milady?" He met her worried gaze.

She raised her hands as though she would take his, but suddenly froze as if afraid to touch him. "Let's go," she whispered, turning away, "Rinzen is waiting."

"Yes, milady."

* * *

**A/N: **I really enjoy writing Anu, because he is very much the Antagonist for Yǎn-sui, even more so than Punga or Uutu or Pi li, because he is so very much like Yǎn-sui in his worldview and way of speaking. I sometimes even see Anu as an older version of Yǎn-sui!


	16. Narrative: Of Battle’s Call and

_**Tales of the Spirit World: Fall of the Blue Spirit**_

Part XV: _**Of Battle's Call and the Shadow Hunt

* * *

**_

__…And thus did Yǎn-sui accompany the maiden of the river to entreat the people of the valley to lend him their strength, as one, and give battle to the demons who plagued them.

The demon general called upon the people to gather the Council of their elders by which they would decide their fate: to abandon home and unburied dead to give battle, or to remain divided and vulnerable to serve as so much prey.

"Your enemy is strong, cunning, and with unending hunger for your flesh and bones," said he, "Fight, and I will fight with you. My master the goddess speaks thus."

The people thus attended to the call to battle, for we of the Flame do not flee when our enemy is before us...

And so upon an island in the midst of the river, the people built a fortress to would provide sanctuary for all. The demon general brought together the warriors in one place there and told them to prepare for battle…

* * *

…At that time, having thus darkened the name of Yǎn-sui before the Heavenly Court with whispers, cunning Pī lì in the shadows of secrecy sought those whose hatred and envy of Yǎn-sui outweighed their fear of him. Among the ranks of glorious Agni's demon army, there were few such warriors to be found, for the Blue Spirit was known by all as an implacable foe. And yet cunning Pī lì found there four such demons: Xiǎng mǎ, demon of wind of a thousand-slaying arrows; Shān dū, demon of earth of the blighting hand; Dōng bù and Dié, demons of fire of the great flame blades of gold. From these demons, cunning Pī lì extracted an oath, to seek out the Blue Spirit and destroy him.

"For this service, you shall be well rewarded," promised he, "I shall soon be the leader of my glorious father's armies, and I shall make you my generals."

The demons bowed to their master and departed to the cardinal directions, to hunt and to slay from the shadows…

* * *

**A/N: **Gee, here I went setting up Pī lì as the primary villain in the first couple of chapters, and he's been so neglected of late...


	17. Of Voices and Memories

_**Tales of the Spirit World: Fall of the Blue Spirit**_

Part XVI: _**Of Voices and Memories

* * *

**_

"'_I refuse to fight you.'"_

Living wood screeched and splintered, the roar of destruction filling the forest as the aged giant toppled, crushing generations of his offspring and hapless others beneath his felled mass.

_"'Take your accursed blades and run them through your body so you no longer blight this world with your existence…'"_

Another brilliant, fatal slash, another cry of protest to life cut short, more lives obliterated in a single stroke.

_"'Filth!'"_

This last giant dwarfed all the rest. Hundreds would be snuffed out with him.

_"'Patricide!'"_

Flames as deep blue as the darkest depths of night flared, gathering for the killing blow…

"'_As you are now… I refuse to fight you. Return when you have something to fight for…'"_

"_**HAH!!**__"_

The tree, instead of falling to the forest floor as the others, was incinerated by the ravenous blue-white inferno that crackled up its magnificent height in twin streaks like lashes of lightening.

Yǎn-sui shook his head irritably as the ash, snow-like, settled in his mane and bare shoulders and drifted into his nose and eyes, clinging as the damp set in. _'He's not coming.'_ He glared at Tiào-fěi, clenched in his hands. _'Would you turn to lead once more and resist my will, if he __**did **__answer? Or was it only because…?'_

If his hands trembled, it was from the training, and from channeling so much raw demonic-enhanced fire so indiscriminately. Yǎn-sui snorted in disgust and surveyed the scene: a new clearing in the midst of an old growth forest, where the spirit forms of the trees he had felled bled into the moist, dark earth. The fine misty rain only served to heighten the smell of death and destruction: torn and bruised loam, burned and splintered wood, freshly spilt sap.

As a demon, it should have gladdened him, eased his agitation. But the only thing he could hear over the wails of those forest spirits he had chanced to spare were those maddening echoes spurning him, mocking him in their utter disdain. And the memory of Tiào-fěi, suddenly lifeless in his shocked hands as he heard a voice from long ago…

_Jiān stared at him in confusion, then turned away. His master, witnessing his humiliation and inability to act in the face of a threat against her,_ _**turned away…**_

He sank like a stone if he set foot on water anymore.

There was a change in the air, scents he recognized and presences he had grown accustomed to. "Dammit to the Abyss…" With a sigh, he sheathed Tiào-fěi and turned his face skyward, where the hidden dawn was lightening the grey clouds.

"Yǎn-sui!" Even before Lhamu touched ground, the human leapt down from his perch, landing softly not ten paces from the waiting demon, a large rough-woven cloth sack hanging from one shoulder. Glancing around the clearing, he gave a low whistle. "You know, if being an almighty demon general doesn't work out for you, you could always take up a career as a wood-cutter. But you might want to lay off the fireworks – they probably saw that last one back in Jiang Hui."

"I am expected to laugh, correct?" Yǎn-sui asked sourly as Lhamu huffed a slight chuckle, "Why are you here, Rinzen?"

"Good morning to you too, Sunshine," Rinzen grumbled, narrowing tired eyes, "I came to give you some presents. Stayed up all night to get them done." He tossed the bag at Yǎn-sui , who caught in one hand.

"Those are some rough maps of the valley in general, with notes on the locations and sizes of different villages and individual settlements, including the ones that have been destroyed," Rinzen said, taking a seat on a nearby tree stump as Yǎn-sui opened the bag and took out a stack of folded papers tied with twine, "The one on top is the one of the island we're building your fortress on." He glanced around the clearing. "I'm assuming that's what all this mess is for?"

"Mn," Yǎn-sui grunted in affirmative, opening the first map and sitting down on the damp earth. He had seen the island himself, of course, and explored it thoroughly since arriving in Jiang Hui three days ago. Rinzen, he saw, had made precise notes of every feature from the northern elevation to the location of the small cove tucked into the western shoulder that could give shelter to several of the larger fishing boats that were the preferred mode of transport on the river.

"Why didn't the humans build their village on this place, where they could easily defend themselves, rather than choosing to squat down in the middle of the water? It's only ten miles downriver," he muttered. The island commanded a respectable view of the surrounding area, as the cliffs more common to the upriver terrain had by this point faded to little more than rolling grass-and-shrub-covered hills.

"Search me," Rinzen replied a trifle blearily to Yǎn-sui's rhetorical question; he looked as though he was about to fall asleep where he sat. "But with Jiān protecting them from floods, they probably decided it would be easiest just to build right on the river and take control of up-and-downriver traffic, plus whatever flows in from the two tributaries from the hill country that meet there. That, and I heard the odd tale or two that the place is haunted."

Yǎn-sui snorted. "If there was a territorial earth spirit on that island, it apparently didn't stomach the idea of a fight with me; I doubt we'll have to worry on that front." He briefly flipped through the other maps. "These are… quite good."

"Yeesh, don't sound so surprised," Rinzen muttered around a jaw-popping yawn, "I'm only human, but I'll have you know, I'm pretty famous among my people for my skills."

"I assume your so-called sense of humor ranks among those skills," said Yǎn-sui, laying the maps aside. There was one more item left in the bag; Yǎn-sui took it out and looked at it in puzzlement; it appeared to be a mass of leather straps and bronze fittings.

"That's a belt for your sword," Rinzen explained, noticing his bafflement. He smirked ever-so-slightly. "Say what you want about my sense of humor, but I'm a famous inventor." He pointed proudly at his blue arrow-stream tattoos. "I didn't earn these just because of my pretty face. I knocked that thing together yesterday because I thought it'd be helpful if you could have both hands free instead of lugging that sheath all over the place. It's handy having firebenders around for delicate metalworking." He stood up, suddenly alert. "Give it here, and the sword, I'll…"

Yǎn-sui growled, baring his teeth.

"… or I'm sure a smart demon like you can figure it out!" he said, plopping back down, his hands raised defensively. Lhamu, munching on a mound of foliage, chuckled again. Rinzen raised a disgruntled eyebrow at her.

"This is meant to go over one shoulder, is it not?" Yǎn-sui asked several minutes later, having attached Tiào-fěi's sheathe to the intricate clips.

"It doesn't have to; you can also hang from your waist. The strap that would go over your shoulder should stabilize it if you have to do any running if you wear it that way."

"I haven't worn Tiào-fěi like this since I was a lowly lieutenant," Yǎn-sui commented, slinging the harness over his shoulder and cinching the belt around his waist. It was easily more secure and comfortable than any other weapons belt he had ever used. _'If it withstands battle-testing, I'll bring it back to the Heavenly Court and have the armory copy it for the reconnaissance units.'_ He noticed Rinzen looking at him expectantly. "Hm… thank you, Rinzen. Your assistance has been… invaluable." He gave the human a brief bow and walked over to one of the felled trees. He drew Tiào-fěi, confirming the belt's strength and flexibility, and paced along the trunk, carving off the branches and splitting it into thirty-foot pieces.

"Just one question," Rinzen yelled over the scraping of metal and the crack of splitting wood, "You really expect a wooden wall's going to be much help against demons?"

Yǎn-sui sheathed Tiào-fěi and returned to the first section of the trunk. "Not much, but better than nothing. I don't intend these fortifications to be attacked in any case, not if I can help it."

"Huh," Rinzen commented, "You seem to this all thought out, except for one thing."

Yǎn-sui cocked his head. "Oh?"

The airbender gave him a stern look. "You know you should be down in Jiang Hui, helping Jiān with the Council. _You're_ the one who said everyone has to move to the island. What do you think it looks like to the elders if you suddenly vanish, leaving Jiān and me to do all the convincing?"

The demon shrugged. "If they do not understand the simple fact that they are easy prey for demons as fragmented as they are now, do you really think there's hope that they can defend themselves even if they are assembled in one place? They've been talking in circles for three days now."

"Urgh," the human groaned, "I suppose I should be grateful you've kept the humans-are-weak-demon-food rhetoric to a minimum, but you need to come back. Everyone's concerned about losing their homes, plus, this is planting season – if they leave now, like you say, there's a good chance they'll starve next winter. Can't you understand that?"

"Humans are unreasonably attached to their dwellings," Yǎn-sui pointed out, "Such things can be rebuilt, and food can be found by moving on to different hunting grounds. Jiān contracted me to save them from demons. Am I supposed to play nursemaid to needless anxieties when fangs hover within striking distance _now_?" He snorted and lifted the sectioned trunk up with one hand, heaving it onto his shoulder.

Rinzen gave a low whistle. "Impressive," he noted, then shrugged. "I'm an Air Nomad, so I can understand where you're coming from about moving on, but you also have to try seeing things from their point of view, annoying as that might be." He traced a pattern in the dirt with his staff. "You talk about understanding the enemy to defeat him. Well, doesn't understanding what you're protecting also matter?"

"What did you say?!" Yǎn-sui demanded, whirling around and letting the tree crash back onto the ground.

"Whoa, hey, I just said you need to try seeing things from their point of view!" Rinzen yelped defensively. Lhamu rumbled, coming to stand protectively by her human, glaring at Yǎn-sui. "You can't expect them to cooperate just by showing up suddenly in the dead of night and announcing everyone has to abandon their homes or die!"

"You are perhaps… correct," Yǎn-sui said carefully, shaking his head. Anu's insult had done more to disturb him than he thought, if such a comment could provoke him so easily. _'It's not as though a mere human has any idea…'_

"Although, showing up in just that loincloth probably got all the women on your side right off," Rinzen observed, leering, "Nice going."

He recognized an offer to let the matter drop when it was given. "Human females are… more aggressive than I've been lead to believe," Yǎn-sui admitted, shuddering slightly at the memory of the blatantly predatory looks the women of Jiang Hui had given him until he had managed to retrieve the wayward boat and his clothes. _'Would they have dared to be so familiar if they could see my true form?'_

"I've noticed women of Fire tribes tend to be like that, though I've run into a couple of Water women I'd never cross if I wanted to have children in the future," Rinzen said enthusiastically; Yǎn-sui wondered if it was because the human was amused by his discomfort or if Rinzen simply enjoyed females the way Huí had. "Heard you had some trouble with a couple of the younger men, though."

The demon rolled his eyes. "Five of them challenged me to a duel in Agni's name in space of an hour when Jiān was not looking."

"I saw them, or what you left of them," Rinzen commented dryly, "Nice to see you held back, for their sakes."

Yǎn-sui shrugged and picked up the tree again. "Jiān desires that I preserve humans from death, but I could not expect to turn from a challenge issued in my master's name. They were reasonably strong, for humans. When they have healed, they will serve to help defend the others."

"You mean, you're actually trusting humans to do some of the work?" Rinzen asked, sounding surprised, "Good for you!"

"It only makes sense," Yǎn-sui grunted, heading for the river, "We are building a fortress. Although the island's terrain minimizes the points of defense, I cannot cover them all if the demons attack from multiple directions. And from what I've seen, these firebenders do possess… something of a warrior spirit."

"Huh." Rinzen cocked his head with a slight smirk and followed. "So, even though the Council's still hemming and hawing, you're going to start building the fortress all on your own on the expectation that everyone's going to pitch in? You have that much hope in them?"

"I prefer action to speaking, particularly when the latter is pointless," Yǎn-sui answered. The river was at least a mile away, but he could begin stacking the large lumber that would serve to build the fortress walls when the humans were finished with their dithering.

"I can't help but think you have another reason for coming all the way out here, other than to hide from the village women," the airbender said, strolling beside him as though walking through the woods next to a demon carrying a thirty-foot tree trunk across his shoulder was something he did every day. Lhamu paced beside them, humming to herself contentedly.

"Your point, human?"

"Jiān told me about Anu."

Yǎn-sui froze. "What… did she tell you?" he asked softly, struggling to keep his anger in check. Wood shrieked in protest as his claws bit into it.

"She only told me because I wouldn't leave her alone!" Rinzen exclaimed hurriedly, backing away several steps. Lhamu rumbled in concern. "Lhamu and I – we're both worried! Ever since you two arrived at Jiang Hui the air's been thicker than cold honey between you. What the hell is going on? It seems like neither of you can even stand to look each other in the face! Jiān, when she thinks no one's looking, drops her happy mask like she about to burst into tears!"

Yǎn-sui hissed in a breath through clenched fangs, enraged blood roaring in his ears. _'So ashamed! So shamed that she tells a human how I…!'_

"And you! Going out into the woods alone, setting fires all over the place! It's like you want to…!" Rinzen paused, eyes wide. "You _want_ that other demon to come after you! You're doing all this so he'll come and fight you!"

"Of course I am," Yǎn-sui said coldly, "How else am I to face my master again?"

"Wait, wait, wait, hold on a second!" Rinzen exclaimed, waving his hands. He pointed at Yǎn-sui. "You _**idiot**_! Why didn't you just tell Jiān that's what you were angry about?!"

"How am I an idiot?" Yǎn-sui demanded, "You're the meddling human who is trying to act as an intermediary between gods and monsters when you have no concept of the circumstances! What other reason could I have to seek battle now, other than to regain my honor in my master's eyes?"

It was the human's turn to roll his eyes. "How about explaining it to me then, or at least telling me if I'm on the right track," he said, "From what Jiān told me, the demon called you names and refused to fight you. But the way you're talking, the only thing you're really upset about is the last part."

"If you have to reduce it to simplest terms for the sake of your limited human comprehension, yes," growled Yǎn-sui, stomping away again.

Rinzen hurried after him, Lhamu on his tail. "One more thing. Jiān said that Anu… accused you of killing your father."

"Yes."

"… Well, did you?"

"Yes."

Rinzen stopped dead, gaping at him. "And you _admit_ it?!"

"My mane isn't declaration enough?" Yǎn-sui drawled, noting Rinzen's goggle-eyed stare of horror. He sighed irritably. _'I suppose I've been overestimating him after all. He really is as ignorant as the rest of them.'_ "There are many demons who would boast of such a deed, human. I gather from your slack-jawed face this is something humans don't do?"

"No!" the airbender declared, clearly revolted. "I mean, no, it's not," he repeated a trifle more calmly, noticing Yǎn-sui's bemused look. "Among humans, murdering your parents is considered a _very_ bad thing."

"As it is among demons."

"But you just said…!"

"A demon who defeats his sire in combat, knowingly or unknowingly, proves his strength, for an older demon is wiser in the art of war," Yǎn-sui explained slowly, "However, a demon who by deception or other cowardly means strikes down a sire who is wounded or unaware is a creature deserving of scorn." He glanced at Rinzen, to ensure that the human was keeping up. "Regardless of the nature of the act, the mane of a demon who kills his father turns black."

"You said 'knowingly or unknowingly,'" Rinzen said after a pause, as if struggling to lay hold of a difficult concept, "Are you saying some demons kill their fathers, not even knowing they're related?!"

"It is quite common. Demon sires do not attend to the rearing of their spawn."

"So did you…?"

"I knew it was my father whom I challenged."

Rinzen took a deep breath, his brow furrowed. "And still you…?"

"I was ordered to."

The human became silent.

"You… disapprove?" Yǎn-sui guessed.

"I'm just trying to understand how you can say something like that so matter-of-factly," said Rinzen, passing a hand over his face and breathing a sigh of disbelief.

"It is a simple truth, I do not see why you have such a difficult time accepting it," Yǎn-sui said with a shrug, walking away again.

Rinzen followed in thoughtful, troubled silence, tapping a distracted cadence against the ground with his staff. "You're going to have to be a little more delicate when you explain things to Jiān," he finally said.

"Explain what?"

Rinzen thumped the ground and glared at Yǎn-sui. "Explain how patricide isn't a crime for you demons and that this whole time you've really only been sulking over how Anu wouldn't fight you, obviously!" he practically shouted in exasperation.

Yǎn-sui paused. "Are you saying that Jiān is more upset over the fact that I killed my father than that I allowed Anu to shame me in front of her, and by extension, disrespect her?"

Demon and human stared at each other.

"This is going to take a while, isn't it?" muttered Rinzen, shaking his head and casting his eyes heavenward in silent plea to the Sky Mother for divine patience.

* * *

She stood on the shallows, watching the firefly lanterns of Jiang Hui being lit upstream. Her customary hat and veils were nowhere to be seen; perhaps she had left them in the village since the sun had already set. The rising moon glowed on her skin and white robes, growing brighter as he watched from the shadows.

_'The Moon's child, her mother's mirror… but her light is nowhere near as cold or pure…_

'"_There had to be a reason…!"'_ Yǎn-sui snorted and shook his head, banishing the annoying thoughts.

"Milady, if I may…"

She whirled as though taken by surprise, a jarringly false smile of greeting marring her face. "Rinzen said you wanted to talk to me?"

Yǎn-sui growled to himself as he came forward and fell to one knee on the rocky bank. _'It seems Rinzen was right about the crumbling mask…'_ "Yes. My apologies for not requesting such an audience myself."

She laughed, but the sound was hollow with tense anxiety. "I don't know if it's because Air Nomads are pacifists or because he's just a busybody, but I got the impression he's of the opinion there is a matter for us to make peace over."

_'What's a "pacifist"?'_ he wondered briefly, bowing his head as he tried to sort through his suddenly disordered thoughts. "He is correct. For a human, Rinzen shows a certain amount of… insight."

"So… what is it you wanted to talk about?" she asked, regarding him like an animal at bay.

_'Delicacy…'_ "I can no longer walk on water."

"… what?" Clearly, she had no idea why this matter was serious.

Yǎn-sui growled again. _'That meddling human had better be right about this…'_ Rinzen's stern rebuke resounded in his ears: _"Jiān's been pretending to be human so long, she really thinks she __**is**__ human. You said it yourself, she doesn't act like a proper god. Maybe she really doesn't know how to. So don't assume she knows something, or is going to be upset about one thing or another! __**Ask her!**__"_ "I have attempted to walk on the river since we came to Jiang Hui." He took a deep breath. "Unless I am with you, it seems, that is impossible for me at this stage. But… I was ashamed to appear before you until I had dealt with Anu."

Jiān remained silent, and it seemed to him that the air itself was turning to a cold, crushing weight. _'Something's wrong.'_ "Milady, we are now bonded in ways that even I do not understand," he continued hurriedly, strangely reluctant to look up, "If you reject me, I will not be able to serve you. Rinzen has said I owe you an… explanation… regarding demons. If I am to assume my greatest transgression was not my failure to defend your honor, then…"

Without warning, Jiān's hand shot out, grasping his. "We can talk on the river," she said abruptly, literally taking him up off his feet and dragging him toward the water. He had only one moment to attempt calling out their combined chi, in vain, before he was practically stumbling across the suddenly agitated surface of the river, Jiān's power more or less supporting him.

"Milady… Jiān…" She did not slow or turn her head, giving no indication that she heard him other than a reflexive tightening of her hand. The riverbank was receding and Jiān began turning downriver, with the possible intent of dragging him along to the sea itself.

_'To the Abyss with "delicacy"!'_ He stopped dead, arresting Jiān's flight. "Jiān, I did kill my father, as Anu said."

Jiān's hand clenched his painfully, her entire body reverberating with a tension he did not understand. "Why?" she gasped.

"My father was a strong demon. He disobeyed an order and became a criminal." If he could not be delicate, he could at least explain things without embellishment or excuse, as was his nature. He owed her that, at least. "He turned his back on the demon race and his Master."

"Was it Agni who ordered you to kill him?" Jiān had yet to turn around; the longer she kept her face averted, the more nervous Yǎn-sui became, though he did not know why.

"No," he answered, "I was not yet of age to serve the gods. My father was not a vassal of the Heavenly Flame in any case."

"You were only a child?!" she demanded in an agonized voice, whirling on him, "Who would tell you to do such a thing?"

Any pretense of calm on her part shattered into moon-silvered tears. _'Why should she feel such pain?' She had nothing to do with it,'_ he thought, feeling as though he was walking in a blind canyon where an attack might come from any quarter. "By human standards, I did not possess the… awareness of an adult," he replied carefully, "But my body was strong and my abilities were already such that He saw fit to dispatch me."

"'He'?" she echoed, for a moment not understanding, "You mean, K… the _Shadowking_ ordered you to kill your father?"

Yǎn-sui nodded, breathing an internal sigh of relief. She seemed to have finally understood. "But before you ask," he interrupted, remembering his conversation with Rinzen, "I accepted gladly. I only knew that my father had committed the crime of disobedience and that his strength was unparalleled among demons. I was eager to fight him and prove myself."

Jiān stared at him blankly. "But… he was your _father!_" she insisted, "Was he cruel to you? Did he hurt you in some way that caused you to hate him and wish for his death?"

_'Abyss, she really __**does**__ think she's human!'_ "The first time I met him was when I challenged him to combat to answer for his crime. In my race, males do not…"

"I don't understand!" she exclaimed, shaking her head wildly. The river roiled and frothed around them. Yǎn-sui felt himself sinking as her concentration slipped. "Why would you knowingly murder your father? It's just…!"

"For human, such an act would be considered a crime, as Rinzen explained to me," Yǎn-sui interrupted more calmly than he felt, "For demons, it is not. I had believed… you were ashamed of me because Anu refused to fight me and spurned your authority as deity by the fact you are my master. I thought only by fighting him, I could…"

Jiān kept shaking her head. "I don't care he that he didn't fight you! I thought he was lying! How _could_ you…!"

_'This… goes deeper than any human taboo she's adopted. This anger, it comes from a wound she herself has experienced,'_ he realized, mystified and strangely enraged, _'But who or what…?'_ "Jiān, even if you consider yourself human, you are a goddess!" he told her sternly, attempting to bring her out of her hysterics, "Accept that what I did is part of my nature, or we'll never…!"

"_**NO!**_" she exploded, pushing him away.

The river beneath him gaped like a devouring maw, swallowing him. Jiān's chi churned around him in a silver and blue whirlpool of chaotic will, dragging him deeper. _'I am to be punished sooner than I thought,' _he reflected, struggling against bonds he knew he could never break, blood and water thundering in his ears. _'FIGHT! LIVE!'_ instinct screamed as the air in his lungs burned with fire he could not control, but it was useless; his will was not his, after all. _'I failed. It comes to less than nothing, Father…'_ Even still, he reached for Tiào-fěi as the silencing darkness of the Abyss gathered.

"Yǎn-sui !"

Suddenly, he could breathe, he could see; Jiān floated before him, just outside the sphere of air she had created around his head, her hair whipped by the currents as her hands grasped his robe. "This isn't what I want! Why is this happening?!"

_'Truly, an improper goddess…'_ he thought as the whirlpool shuddered, thrown into confusion, pulling him up, pulling him down, holding him transfixed. Her true power was terrifying to behold. "You must decide one way or the other," he said gravely, staring into her depthless blue eyes, "Either I die for an inexcusable crime, or you accept my sin and permit me to live."

She hesitated, shaking her head as though she did not understand or simply did not wish to. "It's not… It _can't_ be like this! Why is everything life or death for you?!"

"Because I am a demon. Because you are a goddess. Because I am a slave, and you are my master. Only you have the right to judge, and the power over life and death," he replied in a quiet voice, closing his eyes as water rushed into the pocket of air. _'At least the last thing I see…'_

Trembling fingers wrapped around his left horn. "Live, Yǎn-sui! LIVE!"

His body was freed, but not his mind. Visions of the world within the river crashed down on him once more with maddening profusion. This time, though, there was something else, a shard of memory like a blade cutting at his very awareness: blood swirling in the current, the face of a young human male contorted by rage, his skin pale with death, a storm of emotions that were not his but nevertheless threatened to drown him, shame, rage, guilt, anguished sorrow. Only with great effort, he turned his mind from the tumult, clawing for the moon-silvered ceiling above, shattering it with all his might.

Never had air been sweeter, nor stars and moon so bright. _'Alive! I'm alive!'_

A muffled sob reached him, returning him to earth. Jiān clung to him, frame shuddering with grief. "Jiān," he said, laying one arm across her shoulders in an attempt to stop her shivering, "I saw it again, the river. And something else. Explain it to me."

Her hands fisted in his soaked robe and she laid her cheek against him, drawing in a trembling breath. "Several years ago… seven. Seven years ago," she began hollowly, "A young man from Jiang Hui got into an argument with his father while they were fishing and he… killed him with a knife. Because of the blood, I rushed to the village, thinking someone had been injured, but when I arrived… the other villagers were about to put him to death. He wasn't more than a child!

"I stopped them, but they kept insisting that blood had to be shed for blood to cleanse the sin of patricide." She trembled violently; Yǎn-sui had to wrap his arms tightly around her so the chaotic river would not swallow him again.

"Jiān…"

She breathed in slowly and the river calmed. "Finally, I claimed him in the name of the goddess of the river and took him to the shrine. I told the villagers that the goddess would deliver a suitable penance, but all I really wanted to know was _why_ he would kill his father… and why the villagers would demand another death in return for the first.

"His name was Ran. He was… so full of hate and anger and _shame_! He said her was _glad_ his father was dead and that he had killed him! I just couldn't understand his rage. For three days, I talked with him, tried to… heal him, I guess. Humans are so full of violent emotion it's a wonder they don't fall apart! And Ran… he only wanted to stop feeling at all. On the fourth day, he stopped talking all together, refused to eat, refused to even move! I… left him. To get help, because I didn't know what else to do! But… while I was gone…"

She shuddered so violently that Yǎn-sui thought she was going to fall apart herself; he clung to her, not knowing what else he could do. Jiān seemed to awaken from the memory slightly, for she spoke again, "While I was gone… he went to the headwater and drowned himself."

Yǎn-sui stared down at her, struggling to comprehend the breadth of such blasphemy. Jiān was a goddess who prized life above all else, to the point he had not seen in other gods. The headwater was her heart, the center of her being! For a human to commit suicide in such a place and in such a manner…

"Yǎn-sui, you're hurting me." He blinked, suddenly realizing he had nearly crushed her against him in thoughtless rage.

He dropped his arms with a snap and bowed stiffly. "He… still haunts you, does he not?" he ventured, wanting to apologize for his sacrilegious actions but not knowing how.

Jiān nodded, her face a mask of anguish. "It's as though… his spirit, all his hatred and shame are _mine_, only just out of my thoughts every day since then. When Anu said _you…_" She covered her face with her hands. "Why?" she asked in a voice raw with grief, "Why did he _hate_ so much? Why did he seek death so eagerly, in such despair?"

"Because humans are weak," Yǎn-sui found himself answering, "Because their free will places them on the same level as the Gods, but their temperament and bodies are weaker even than the Beasts. They partake equally of Chaos and Balance and are perpetually agonized by natures that are never truly one or the other. And because their souls are the immortal stuff of the Gods, they are even reborn to continue their cycle of useless suffering." He shook his head, glaring at the twinkling lights of Jiang Hui. "That is why I despise them: they are weak, cowardly, and abuse whatever power they do obtain, all the while heedless of what their actions wreak upon this world." He glanced at Jiān, who had gone silent and was staring at him with wide eyes. "I beg forgiveness, milady."

"For what?" she wondered, "If you talk about people like that, you need to apologize to them, not me."

Yǎn-sui sighed into his hand. "Never mind." _'I keep forgetting, she's not a proper goddess.'_

Jiān smiled at him, a true smile, albeit touched with sadness. "Yǎn-sui... do you ever regret killing your father? If you say you had no choice, I believe you, but…"

"Demons are not meant to regret," he replied curtly, "To regret an act means you also had the choice to make it in the first place, and the power to choose a different path."

"I see," she said, and he wondered if she did, even then. Hesitantly, she reached out and took his hand. "I'm sure your father understood, too. Maybe in that, he's forgiven you."

_'As you have, Jiān?'_ he reminded her, not flinching at her touch.

_'… "Don't regret this, spawn. Whatever happens, you __**chose**__ this path. I can only lend you my strength so long as you remain steadfast…"'_ He shook his head roughly, and the voice from long ago was gone. "If that is the case, we should resume our interrupted experiment, milady."

"Oh, I don't think we have to worry about that," Jiān replied cheerfully, slipping her hand out of his and twirling away in a flurry of white and black, "You've been standing on the river all on your own this whole time and I'll bet you didn't even have to think about it!"

Yǎn-sui blinked and stared down at his feet. The manifested chi, brilliant blue and void-dark glowed around him with such intensity he wondered how he possibly could not have noticed it before.

"Hm…"

* * *

**A/N: **Not a lot of action, I'm afraid, but I hope I got some spiffing character development in, at least! I'm glad Rinzen got a significant role in this chapter - he's been neglected, and I feel bad about that.


	18. Omake 1: Of an Explanation

_**Tales of the Spirit World: Fall of the Blue Spirit**_

Omake 1: **_Of an Explanation

* * *

_**

"Oh, hey there, Yǎn-sui," Rinzen greeted distractedly, glancing up from the paper he was sketching on furiously with a stick of pressed charcoal. It looked like a mass of scribbles, although Yǎn-sui spied an outline of that might be a skunk-bear eating a massive moon-peach… or a misshapen rabbit being crushed by a boulder. The board he was using as a drawing surface was marked with squiggles that may have been mathematical formulas. Or a recipe for tuber stew.

"Is there something you want?" the airbender asked in terse voice after several minutes, "It's awfully rude to stare at someone who's working and say nothing. And you're standing in my light."

Yǎn-sui tilted his head, somewhat surprised by Rinzen's sharp tones. "It's midday, so you're not still recovering from your inability to rise with the sun," he noted.

Rinzen made an irritated sound and shoved the charcoal stick behind one ear, laying the board to one side with a _clunk_. "It just so happens I'm working on an idea and I don't like being interrupted. Call it a character quirk. But obviously, there's something you want to talk about. Have a seat." He waved a hand at the splintering boards of the dock at Yǎn-sui's feet.

Yǎn-sui nodded and sat down, crossing his legs. "You were… right about having to talk with Jiān," he said after a slightly awkward silence.

"Well, I shouldn't really have assumed you know how to read a female's mind, let alone a goddess's," Rinzen allowed, slightly bemused by Yǎn-sui's conciliatory gambit, "But I'm glad I could be of some help."

Demon and human looked out over the river for some time without speaking. Behind them, Jiang Hui was going about its business, with traders and fishermen coming and going from the main receiving docks. Children were scampering about in the marketplace as mothers called anxiously after them not to fall into the water.

"Jiān mentioned something last night that I didn't understand," Yǎn-sui finally ventured again, "Something about Air Nomads."

Rinzen quirked his eyebrows. "Hm?"

Yǎn-sui frowned, staring hard at him until Rinzen began to fidget under the scrutiny. "What," he said in frustrated tone, "is a "pacifist"?"

"… You're serious," Rinzen said, having almost fallen off the dock in surprise. He flinched as Yǎn-sui's glare assumed a ferocity akin to sulfurous acid. "Okay, okay, got it! Um, well…" He laid his hand behind his head, thinking. "Being a pacifist means you don't believe in fighting."

"… Are you being serious?" Yǎn-sui asked after a beat, suspecting Rinzen was making fun of him, "I knew humans were fools, but you can't tell me your people have no concept of…"

"What I meant was, pacifism is the belief that fighting is wrong and that all problems should be solved by peaceful means," Rinzen interrupted hurriedly, feeling a sweat coming on.

"… what?"

"… Oh boy."

**Several hours later…**

"No, no, no!" Rinzen almost shouted, shaking his head and waving his hand, "It doesn't mean that we don't think someone doesn't have the right to defend themselves! Even though violence is wrong, it _can_ be used as a last resort!"

Yǎn-sui folded his arms and snorted. "Yes, but how do you humans define "last resort"? This… idea… of peace and understanding… it's impossible. Humans are not capable of achieving harmony within themselves, let alone among members of their own tribe. Just watch them." He indicated two men engaged in a heated argument over the division of a catch on the next dock over. One abruptly punched the other in the jaw, sending him reeling into the water below with a splash. "See? The man who used violence won, because he was stronger. The man who did not, lost."

"Might doesn't mean right," Rinzen grumbled, "Besides, pacifism is a way of life that takes discipline and conscious effort, as well as a willingness to see the other person's point of view."

The demon shook his head in bewilderment. "But if the other side only understands violence, then you are at a loss. You can only pretend to have peace among all if you actually have the strength to dominate all."

The airbender sighed and held his hands up in defeat. "All right, let's just agree to disagree. You're a warrior, I'm an inventor. You're a demon, I'm a human. We just have different beliefs we're not going to yield on."

"If your people really think you can survive in a world which ignores reality, you are asking for someone who does not hold the same views to wipe you out," Yǎn-sui said sternly.

Rinzen raised his eyebrows. "Thanks for the warning, but let me have _some_ faith in humanity, if you don't mind?" he asked.

"I suppose I have no choice," said Yǎn-sui with great reluctance. He frowned at Rinzen. "I do hope that one day you and your people will see reason." With that, he stood, bowed to the airbender, and stalked off down the docks.

"Hm, was it just my imagination, or was he actually concerned for me?" Rinzen asked in a slightly sardonic tone, watching him go. He picked up his discarded sketching, shaking his head and chuckling.

"Good thing I didn't try to explain how Air Nomads are vegetarians…"

* * *

**A/N: **This was meant to be a part of the last chapter, but it simply did not fit in, so I left it as a "bonus" chapter, because I love writing Rinzen/ Yǎn-sui. :3 I suppose it's a bit of dark humor, considering what happens in the show...

**Rinzen:** I just watched the first episode of this... _Last Airbender_ series the author mentioned. (~_~) DAMMIT!!

**Y****ǎ****n-sui****:** As much as I like winning arguments, I wish in this case that I could have been wrong.


	19. Interlude III: Of the Island of Sān Duō

_**Tales of the Spirit World: Fall of the Blue Spirit**_

Part XVII: **Interlude III: Of the Island of Sān Duō

* * *

**

"In the Beginning of Ages, when He Who Seeks the Return of Chaos had been imprisoned in the Abyss by the twin gods Agni and Tui, the existence of a harmonious world was not the stuff of dreams, but a beautiful reality: a true Golden Age. In this era of hope, where it seemed that War had no place, three spirits together decided to create a home for themselves, to realize the dreams of the Age.

So spoke the spirit of Fire:

"Our lords have banished the Shadow from the world, and it is created anew."

Thus spoke the spirit of Water:

"Now there is much to be done to heal the wounds of War that have been left behind."

And thus spoke the spirit of Earth:

"We three shall create a new land, a home that will be paradise and sanctuary."

The spirits of the Air blessed their endeavor, bearing them upon the winds that stream the vault of Heaven to the edge of the world where there was yet a vast emptiness to be filled. The three spirits assembled their powers together and called forth an island from the depths.

So spoke the spirit of Earth:

"In the name of my mother, Qi, may hills and mountains and cliffs rise before me."

Thus spoke the spirit of Water:

"In the name of my Lord Tui and my Lady La, may the waters of rivers and streams flow forth before me."

And thus spoke the spirit of Fire:

"In the name of the glorious Agni of Heavenly Flame, may fires of life and guardianship descend before me."

Lo and behold, from the bosom of the empty sea, an island rose, of hills and mountains and cliffs, of rivers and streams, of warmth and the secret fires that sleep within the earth. The three spirits called upon the spirits of Air to seek nearby lands and across the sea for those bereft in the aftermath of War of shelter or home and bid them come to their land.

So spoke the spirit of Water:

"Shall we bring Man into our new home, that all Races may share in our undertaking?"

Thus spoke the spirit of Earth:

"The Race of Man is quarrelsome and seeks to dominate the world. If we bring them to this sanctuary, they will destroy it."

And thus spoke the spirit of Fire:

"What you say of Men is true, but shall we pass judgment on a Race and not persevere in the hope that is this age?"

The spirits debated among themselves, Earth and Fire speaking harshly, until at last the spirit of Water sued for peace. "We have yet much to accomplish; let us for the time being create as friends this land. If we find in time that Men have grown wiser, and learned to embrace this age of peace, let us invite them to come."

The spirit of Fire and the spirit of Earth assented to her wisdom and returned to the task before them.

And yet, before they had perfected their endeavor, the god brothers Tui and Agni quarreled, and thus began the Second War of Ages. With great regret and promises to return, the spirit of Fire and the spirit of Water left the island and parted ways with the spirit of Earth.

The spirit of Earth remained alone for many upon many days, watching the horizon for the return of his friends, until the day that the spirits of Air came to him with words of great sorrow...

* * *

**A/N:** The story in this narrative won't come into play until several chapters from now, but I thought it fit better here than later on, when the action starts. It also gives a point of contrast between Jiān's actions in the "real time" storyline versus the actions and motives of Gods and Spirits in the "narrative."


	20. Of a Battle and a Face in the Mist

_**Tales of the Spirit World: Fall of the Blue Spirit**_

Part XVIII:**Of a Battle and a Face in the Mist

* * *

**

The wall of water arched over his head, rearing like a striking scorpion-snake. Yǎn-sui swerved and kicked in an extra burst of speed; the river crashed down on the spot he had stepped only a moment before.

"Good!" he called out, speeding past Jiān, the goddess jumping in surprise at seeing him suddenly appear around the bend in the river through the rain, "But one attack at a time isn't good enough! And you have to aim, not just rely on force alone!"

"Urgh!" Jiān replied, whirling and throwing her arms wide, splitting the river at his feet.

Yǎn-sui pushed off against the surface as it fell away, vaulting over Lhamu and Rinzen (asleep in the saddle), clearing them both easily.

"I'm sorry, Mumu!" Jiān exclaimed anxiously as Lhamu bellowed in surprise, thrashing awkwardly into semi-flight as the river nearly swallowed her.

"Huhnwhazzat?!" Rinzen blurted rather incoherently, sitting bolt-upright and befuddled as he tried to figure out what was going on. He made a half-hearted attempt to disentangle himself from his woven straw raincloak before giving up. He slumped forward with his chin resting on the edge of the saddle to watch the far more active pair, while Lhamu resumed her industrious upriver paddling as if nothing untoward had happened.

She was an exceptionally patient Beast.

"Yǎn-sui, that wasn't fair!" his master exclaimed as Yǎn-sui jogged back, smirking despite the misting veils raining from the dark grey sky.

"If you intend to fight defending useless noncombatants who only serve as obstacles, it is," Yǎn-sui replied, not even bothering to hide his smugness.

"Hey, us 'useless obstacles' can hear you, you know," Rinzen informed him tartly with a poisonous glare.

Demon and goddess walked alongside Lhamu, the former striding along with the slightest hesitancy, still amazed by his ability to walk on water, the latter gliding serenely along, for she did such a thing every day of her life.

"Present company excluded, I'm sure," Jiān replied soothingly. She gave Yǎn-sui a sidelong glance. "Right, Yǎn-sui?"

"Of course – you're a very useful obstacle, Rinzen," Yǎn-sui said semi-apologetically, "My master would never learn how to fight properly otherwise without you here to get in the way."

"I dislike you intensely," the cranky airbender stated, "Especially your obsession with having to do everything before the ass-crack of dawn." He threw himself onto the bottom of the saddle and yanked the raincloak back over his head with finality.

Jiān snorted with laughter and tried to hide it by coughing into her hands when she noticed Yǎn-sui growling ever-so-softly. "He's not being disrespectful to Agni, you know," she said, half-placating, half-stern, "Rinzen's just… not a morning person. I think it has something to do with his blood."

"Maybe I can help with that," Yǎn-sui suggested, stretching his hands so that the joints in his fingers popped audibly.

"No hurting humans!" Jiān exclaimed, "I don't care if he _does_ insult Ag…!"

"Jiān, that was Yǎn-sui's idea of a joke," Rinzen called out in a wet-straw-muffled voice. "Yǎn-sui: you're no longer allowed to criticize my sense of humor."

"Predicated on the assumption I was joking, human?" Yǎn-sui shot back, grinning.

Rinzen's reply was an overloud, dramatic snore to indicate that their battle of wits would have to wait until he had gotten more than three hours of sleep at one time.

"Yǎn-sui, Rinzen has done so much to try and help you – to help _all _of us!" said Jiān, sounding frustrated, "I'm not telling you to thank him or be his best friend, but can't you at least be more… mature?"

Yǎn-sui stared at her.

Jiān folded her arms, frowning as she met his gaze sternly. "You're older than he is: you should act your age!"

"*snort*_** AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA**_~!!" Laughter bursting from Lhamu's saddle informed all living things within a mile radius that the airbender was not as debilitated by lack of sleep as he had insisted.

"Go back to sleep, human, or you'll be of no use when we get there," Yǎn-sui snarled at him.

Rinzen sat up energetically in the saddle; Yǎn-sui was beginning to think his inability to function in the morning was due more to whether or nor the airbender had something to entertain himself with rather than any physical ailment. "No worries, my friend," he said confidently through a brief yawn, "This visit is really just a formality to follow up on the letter I sent, if I know Elder Yu. He's had to step into the mediator role more than once; he'll definitely help, since everyone's survival is at stake. Other than Lady Jiān, he's only person along the whole river who can convince everyone to go along with something."

"I can only hope, since I certainly didn't prove up to the task," Jiān agreed, somewhat abashed, "The Council demanded that Elder Yu speak for the Upper River before they will agree to make our stand on that island."

_'Somehow, I don't think it would have been much of a problem if you just showed everyone you're a goddess to be obeyed, instead of a mere human priestess who needs to wheedle and cajole this pack of idiots to see reason,'_ Yǎn-sui thought sourly, irritated by Jiān's self-effacing mannerisms, which he now saw to be part of her character, rather than a cunning ploy (which would have been preferable). "What if he doesn't agree with my plan?" he pointed out, "I doubt I've "proved" myself to him so that I can count on his support. He might simply tip the balance in favor of those idiots who think the demons will just leave them alone to prey on the uplands."

"Well, that's why I said I was coming along, right?" Rinzen riposted, "You've definitely got Lady Jiān on your side. Elder Yu thinks I've got a good head on my shoulders ever since I beat him in Pai-sho, maybe he'll trust my judgment as well."

"And what if he doesn't?" Yǎn-sui pressed, if only to ease the sting of wounded pride at having to depend on the support of one human to get recognition from another. It was quite maddening, when he thought about it.

"Look, can you _please_ knock it off with the pessimism already?" complained Rinzen, "Think positively, my friend, and maybe Fate will be kind to you."

"Trusting in _Fate_ is for the weak and cowardly," was his reply. Before Rinzen could retort, Yǎn-sui turned his attention to Jiān, who had been watching the exchange with growing concern. "Shall we continue our practice?"

"Y-yes, maybe that's best," she agreed, "Only, this time, can you attack me for real?"

"… by which you mean…?"

"Well, I'm not asking you to try and cut my head off, but at least come at me with your swords," Jiān explained reasonably, "How do you expect me to defend myself from an enemy who will most certainly use weapons if I've never had to confront such a thing before?"

"Whoa, hey, Lady Jiān, I don't think…!" Rinzen began to protest.

"You're absolutely right," agreed Yǎn-sui, unsheathing Tiào-fěi. He regarded her over the blades. "Please look at these closely, milady – they are capable of killing even gods. They are tools for taking lives, and because I serve you, the means to protect them. You must be willing to use your power in such a way. Do you understand?"

Jiān hesitated before nodding. "I do."

"Then be on the lookout," Yǎn-sui told her. He eyed Rinzen. "If you're so worried about seeing something unpleasant, ask Lhamu take you up into the clouds."

The airbender glared darkly. "You know, demon humor is really..." he began, but Yǎn-sui had already taken off upriver.

Water blurred beneath his feet as he reached full speed; it was not unlike running across desert sand, if he had to relate it to something familiar. He felt the whisper of Jiān's awareness, trailing just behind him. She could easily track him by the bonds that tied them if she wanted, but she had promised to use only her sense of the river.

He did not know if her sincerity was as frustrating as her naïveté, but it was certainly a close contest.

'_Enough,'_ he told himself sternly, leaping up a short series of rapids on algae-slimed stones that would confuse Jiān's tracking. He did not need to dwell on her strange and impossibly illogical mannerisms any longer. It was distracting and futile. Had he not nearly drowned the last time he allowed his emotions concerning her to get the better of him? And how many days had he wasted when he _should_ have been concentrating on deducing what he knew of the enemy?

_'What __**do**__ I know?'_ Four demons had now made themselves known to him; it was possible that they alone were the ones wreaking havoc in the valley, given the pains Anu had taken to adhere to the precepts of honor, despite the fact he came only to verbally degrade Yǎn-sui.

Anu... easily as powerful as the rumors said, had hovered effortlessly over the river without so much of a twitch of his wings. _'His master, Sangmu, lives... but she was never quite disciplined.'_ Yǎn-sui growled in remembered irritation at having to deal with air gods and spirits and their demon minions. There was a reason Air beings were usually only assigned reconnaissance and took "special" missions at their discretion - their reputation as a mercenary lot was well-earned on both sides. He supposed it was due to Sky-Mother Tian's abject refusal to choose between her two brothers, allowing her children to act as they saw fit.

It led to sloppy soldiery on the part of their demons... in most cases, at least.

Hau, that sand demon... now _he_ was a puzzle. His manner hinted at some sort of mental deficiency, while his size was most likely due to physical deformity. However, Yǎn-sui knew enough not to presume ability without having taken his opponent's measure for himself.

The only opponents who had given him the opportunity to do so had exhibited above-average capabilities in spite of the fact he was almost certain both of their masters were dead. Uutu, unrestrained as any whelp, had still pressed him closely. Punga was cunning and fought without any sense of honor or bounds... not that he had reason to. He was a water demon, after all, and Uutu had said Punga bore some sort of grudge against him.

_'But __**how**__...?'_ Yǎn-sui jumped up the last rock onto the projecting shore overhead, cutting into the young forest that crowded beneath the rising cliffs looming above the river. Running on land was still easier than on water, even with Jiān's cooperation, and it would be impossible for her to know when he turned about to commence his "attack."

He had told Jiān the idea of god-eating was preposterous, but...

Uutu declared that he had rejected the gods as masters, as had Anu. _'Anu I can see standing up to gods, but a young spawn like Uutu does not seem the type to rebel without help, let alone to fight alongside a water demon - he still wears most of his uniform after all. I wonder what Punga meant when he said Uutu had been abandoned on his first battlefield...'_

Four demons, four factions... and no divine presence other than Jiān's in the whole valley that he could detect, no matter how widely he cast the net of his consciousness. Was there really such a god who could command obedience from such a disparate crew? _'Not likely. Even gods have their limits.'_

His fingers drifted to the leather, cloth-lined pouch strapped to his right bicep where he now kept Huí's horns at all times, having nearly lost them when he set Jiān's boat adrift. What had Huí said? _"I can say it wasn't __**nobody**__. Or, at least I'd like to. It had to be a demon, right? But when I was… pushed aside… and my horns were taken and those words came out of my mouth… I felt __**nothing..."**_

Huí's head had been manipulated by demonic means.

Punga, before fleeing their battle, had referred to "Milord," forcing Uutu to abandon the fight as well.

Yǎn-sui nearly stumbled over the snakelike network of roots that traced the moist earth. _'Can it be possible that... __**Koh**__...?!'_

With a jerk, he suddenly realized he recognized the scent and sound of the forest around him. A few strides brought him to the edge of the brush, out upon a wide, rock-littered brown bank, where Jiān had first introduced him to Rinzen. No children played there now, in the raining afterdawn. He had gone further and faster than he had intended while lost in thought. Shaking his head over his carelessness, he stepped out onto the water, heading for mid-river. There were no traces of Jiān's consciousness under the surface, which did not surprise him.

He inhaled in a deep breath and let it flow out of him, taking with it his confusion and anxiety. It was time to focus on the matter at hand, which was to prepare his master for battle. _'Ready or not, here I...'_

He drew Tiào-fěi just as the blade of a chain-sickle whistled past his ear from behind.

"Heads up, black-mane!"

Yǎn-sui whirled, bringing Tiào-fěi's blades up cross-wise to catch the returning sickle between them. "Punga!" he shouted, scanning the riverbank for the hidden water demon.

There was a splash at his feet.

Without pause, Yǎn-sui released the sickle, leaping into the air as Uutu's bomb exploded in a thunderous burst that vaporized the water into boiling-hot jets of steam. _'Above!'_

The blade of the young demon's fiery saw-toothed pudao clashed on Tiào-fěi as Yǎn-sui raised it just in time to block the demon's overhead attack. "Die, traitor!" Uutu screamed, bearing his full weight down on Yǎn-sui.

Both fire demons plunged into the still-frothing river. Yǎn-sui kicked out blindly underwater, catching Uutu squarely in the solar plexus before breaking the surface. He had only a moment to take a breath before he had to duck back under to avoid Punga's sickle as it sailed across the river.

_'He can track me through the water?!_ Yǎn-sui realized. As if in answer, the weighted end of the chain-sickle lanced down, wrapping around his waist like a carnivorous lightning-vine. Yǎn-sui was hauled up out of the river and tossed high like a toy snapped from the end of a child's string.

"Here's your chance, whelp!" Punga cackled, watching Yǎn-sui twist in mid-air.

Uutu launched himself from the small platform of ice he had been waiting on, the red-gold fire of his weapon crackling eagerly, the victorious gleam of a predator closing in on a kill blazing in his crimson eyes.

_'Overzealous,' _Yǎn-sui observed, somewhat disappointed. _'I invoke the Inferno.'_

"Argh!" Uutu wailed, shielding his face with the pudao's wide blade as blue-white fire spewed from Yǎn-sui's maw. The attack sent him flailing back down to the river, where he landed with a hollow _smack!_ before sinking from sight.

"Now, _that_ was just embarrassing," Punga remarked, whirling his chain-sickle, right-pawed, about himself in lazy arcs as Yǎn-sui touched down out of range slightly downriver, "Makes me wonder how in the Abyss you fire demons have been giving Tui's armies such a hard time." His single eye scrutinized the glowing patch at Yǎn-sui's feet. "Hm, seems like Anu understated things again. You're popping around on this river like a flea-moth on hot coals, when he said you could barely take ten straight steps only four days ago. I'd like to know how you managed that."

"I'll tell you when you tell me how you are able to see the river and walk about it with such impunity," Yǎn-sui suggested, noticing the water Punga stood upon seemed to freeze and refreeze as the river's current whirled around him.

"Ah, well, guess both of our curiosities will have to remain unsatisfied, then," said Punga with an air of disappointment. With a flick of his left wrist, he sent a weighted chain sailing toward Yǎn-sui's mid-section, just as an enraged Uutu burst out of the water, swinging his pudao at Yǎn-sui's neck.

Yǎn-sui blocked the weighted chain with the flat Tiào-fěi's left blade, the impact shuddering up the length of his arm, and parried Uutu's pudao with the right. Uutu was thrown back into the river's embrace and Yǎn-sui charged at Punga.

The water demon stomped on the river, rupturing the surface with an explosion of enormous ice shards that sprang up like the jaws and teeth of a dragon rearing from the depths. Yǎn-sui skidded, slicing his feet on the razor-sharp crystals, spilling swathes of dark red blood; apparently, his bond with Jiān did not enable him to control the changed nature of her element.

Unfortunately, it seemed Uutu had been preparing for just such a situation. Yǎn-sui whirled as the younger demon charged at him, sprinting down the length of the icy track with ease. The impact of their blades sent him reeling backwards... right into range of Punga's main weapon. The point of the sickle buried itself in Yǎn-sui's left shoulder-blade, piercing through the bone. The weighted chain followed, snapping around his ankles. Punga jerked the slack tight, yanking Yǎn-sui's feet from under him. Yǎn-sui toppled face-first onto the ice, only just managing to keep hold of Tiào-fěi as his breath whistled from his lungs.

"Now, Uutu!"

Uutu's rapid foot-steps shuddered the ice Yǎn-sui lay on as he closed in, pudao raised to cleave Yǎn-sui's head from his immobilized body. Yǎn-sui let him come, feigning unconsciousness; the impetuous whelp would lose a leg, at the very least, for…

"Yǎn-sui!!!"

Agony ripped through him as the sickle buried in his back was torn away. The ice he lay on cracked and dissolved as the river beneath bucked and shuddered as if alive. Yǎn-sui kicked free of Punga's suddenly slack chain, regaining his footing on the water, shot through with the silver threads of Jiān's chi. There was no time to look for her. With a roar, Yǎn-sui hurled himself forward, passing directly under Uutu's descending strike, his left horn lodging into Uutu's side. Uutu grunted heavily, bringing his knee up sharply into Yǎn-sui's nose, cracking it. Yǎn-sui's head whirled in pain; Uutu's fist slammed down on his head, dislodging Yǎn-sui's horn from his torso, globs of his blood showering Yǎn-sui.

Yǎn-sui rolled out of the way before Uutu could think to follow up with either his pudao or bombs.

"Yǎn-sui!" Jiān was beside him, hauling him to his feet with one hand around his right wrist.

"Back!" he yelled at her, swiping off the burning crimson liquid with the back of his other hand before it could leak into his eyes.

Jiān misunderstood, dragging him along as she retreated some ways downriver.

"No, I meant...!" Yǎn-sui growled, struggling to shake himself free of her grasp as he saw Punga create another ice platform for Uutu. They would attack any second and he need to...!

"Yǎn-sui! Jiān!"

"Rinzen! Lhamu!" Jiān shouted, looking up as airbender and sky bison tore out of the cloud-cover overhead.

"Boat!" Rinzen shouted, pointing upriver, past the two demons.

Yǎn-sui swore as the small craft appeared around the jutting finger of reed-covered riverbank, not two hundred yards behind Uutu and Punga. It was rowed by a woman and a young boy, momentarily oblivious to the danger they had stumbled into.

Jiān had bound him to protect humans, at any cost.

"Yǎn-sui, what-?!" Jiān cried as Yǎn-sui suddenly lunged out of her hold.

"Lhamu, follow me!" he shouted.

"What the...?!" Punga blurted as Yǎn-sui and Lhamu (with Rinzen hanging on for dear life) hurtled toward him and Uutu.

Uutu automatically reached back into his dragon hide pouch, drawing out two metal spheres, and threw them directly into Yǎn-sui's path. Not to be outdone, Punga hurled his chain weapons up at Lhamu, adding a flight of ice shards for good measure.

Yǎn-sui did not even bother to swerve as he leaped, sheathing Tiào-fěi and clearing the pair as twin explosions tore air and water into tatters of white steam and froth. Lhamu banked and climbed, avoiding both weapons and ice, her bawl of anger nearly drowning out Rinzen's stream of invectives.

The woman was standing up, balancing precariously in the flimsy boat as she gathered handfuls of orange and yellow flames, her amber eyes wide with something between rage and fear. The boy stayed crouched low at her feet, in such a way that his weight steadied the craft while allowing him to see above the side. He was shouting something to the woman that Yǎn-sui did not catch.

He landed lightly beside the boat, between the humans and the demons; the woman cried out in surprise, the flames she had summoned crackling and spurting confusedly.

"Who...?!"

Yǎn-sui hauled the boy up by the sash around his waist and tucked him under one arm, then grabbed the woman's wrist. She shrieked and kicked, pulling away from him with all her might. The boat rocked and nearly upended.

A high-pitched whistling sound cut the air; Uutu had thrown another bomb, straight at his back. _'No time!'_ Yǎn-sui heaved forward, knocking the woman backward before he grabbed her, leaping over the boat as it overturned, slinging the child around so that both would be shielded by his body. The woman screamed as the bomb exploded around them, fire roaring hungrily and licking at her hair and clothes. Yǎn-sui grit his teeth, channeling his granted fire through his horns, counteracting the chaotic flow of red-gold flames. They obeyed, swirling and collapsing in on each other until a single blue-white flame hovered above him before vanishing. Not sparing a moment, Yǎn-sui leapt with all his might, straight up into Lhamu's waiting saddle.

"Yǎn-sui, are you all right?!" Rinzen called over his shoulder as Lhamu wheeled up into the air to escape volleys of fire and ice from below, "That thing exploded right on you!"

Yǎn-sui deposited the trembling, white-faced woman and stunned boy in the bottom of the saddle. "Get them to Elder Yu. Jiān and I will hold off Uutu and Punga, but in case Anu and Hau attack while we do, make sure the humans are prepared to defend themselves."

"... Got it," agreed Rinzen, sparing him a glance and a nod before returning his attention to the fore, "Lhamu, circle back to Jiān, quick! Yǎn-sui's...!"

"He already jumped out," the boy informed him as the woman beside him gaped at the black-haired figure who had just landed on the river, forty feet below, as lightly as stepping off a dock onto a boat.

"Never mind," Rinzen sighed, nudging Lhamu's reins rather unnecessarily; the sky bison had already turned her head upstream.

"Your clothes are smoking and your shoulder's a mess, but other than that...?" Jiān asked tensely as Yǎn-sui ran up to her side. Her dark blue eyes were trained on Punga and Uutu, her hands raised, ready to bend the river to her will.

"Some minor injuries; they're already healing, milady," Yǎn-sui assured her, drawing Tiào-fěi although his right shoulder spasmed tortuously at the motion.

Lhamu and her passengers had already disappeared into the mists. Uutu and Punga did not move to attack, however. Instead, they seemed rather...

"Hold on one damned second," Punga sputtered, sounding bemused and almost angry, "_That_ little chit is the river goddess?!" He stabbed a claw at Jiān, disbelief clear on his face.

"You will address my master with respect, Punga!" Yǎn-sui snapped, somewhat discomfited that Punga had used the exact term he had mentally applied to Jiān upon their first meeting.

"So... _she's_ the one who...?" Uutu chimed in, sounding at least as befuddled as Punga as he gaped at Jiān.

Something about his expression sparked a momentary sensation of familiarity; Yǎn-sui blinked, certain he had to be imagining things. The river surged under his feet as Jiān bridled, jerking him out of his odd rumination. "So what if I am?" she declared, "This is _my_ river, I demand that you and your friends leave immediately, and harm no more humans in this valley!"

A space of awkward silence swallowed the echoes of Jiān's demand.

"BUA-_**AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA~!!!**_" Punga roared, his entire body shaking with laughter.

Uutu seemed suddenly preoccupied with examining his pudao; Yǎn-sui would have expected him to be railing in much the same manner as Punga, but the whelp seemed rather out of his depth. His ears were twitching in what Yǎn-sui could only guess was mortification at his partner's disgraceful behavior.

"Don't," Yǎn-sui muttered to Jiān, who had taken a step forward, hands balled into fists as the water thrashed with echoes of her anger and embarrassment. Flying into a rage would only play into Punga's hands.

He remembered the way Punga had tossed Huí's horns into the dust with such seeming carelessness.

"Don't you _dare_ laugh at Yǎn-sui!" Jiān shouted before Yǎn-sui could stop her, "You're the ones who could only fight him two at a time!"

"Whooaaaa, you're a feisty little girl, ain'tcha?" Punga returned, his sneer contorting into a leer, "You'd be interesting if you had more meat on you, chicky."

"Punga!" Uutu exclaimed, glaring at him in disgust, "Enough of this! We are here to fight Gen… the Blue Spirit, not trade insults with his..." Uutu's ears twitched violently as he uttered in a low voice, "...master."

"Whoo-hoooo... Abyss, this is _priceless_!" Punga observed, ignoring Uutu. His eye went from Yǎn-sui to Jiān and back again, sniggering. "Bit of a switch, serving glorious Agni in all that shiny armor of yours, to be reduced to fighting in this backwater in those rags, obeying the orders of that teeny thing, eh black-mane?"

_'He's baiting you again, don't fall for it, don't fall for it, he's only...!'_ Tiào-fěi's hilts trembled eagerly in his hands.

"And I bet you have to obey eeeeeevery order she gives you - that's how a life debt works, right Uutu?" drawled the water demon, narrowing his eye to a slit.

The hairs at the nape of Yǎn-sui's neck prickled coldly.

"How should I know?" Uutu demanded, bewildered, "I've never...!"

"That was a rhetorical question, you twit," snarled Punga, baring his fangs triumphantly, "A life debt binds by life owed... or by service equal to life owed. And since your dear General Black-mane literally tore himself away from the missy to snatch those humans out of the way..."

'_No...!'_

"... looks like we'll be destroying that village a little ahead of schedule. Let's go, Uutu!"

"NO!"

"Jiān, direct your attack - immobilize Punga!" Yǎn-sui shouted to be heard over Jiān's yell and the roar of the towering wall of river she raised with a single sweep of her arm. Not waiting to see if his words had any effect, he raced up the arc of the wave, aiming for Uutu, who had swiveled about on his shaky ice-floe to stare at the oncoming water in shock.

Catching sight of Yǎn-sui, the young demon roared in anger and frustration, leaping straight at him, fiery pudao raised over his head, exactly as Yǎn-sui predicted. He kicked off the wall, accelerating even faster as gravity claimed its motion, coming in under Uutu's guard. The pommel of Tiào-fěi's left hilt slammed into the wound Yǎn-sui's horn had gored into his side. Uutu screamed in pain as Yǎn-sui bore them both down to the river's shallows, the wall of water crashing down behind them.

"Missed me, girly!" Punga cackled, bobbing up out of the water where he had simply submerged, waiting for the wall to pass overhead.

"I won't this time!" Jiān cried, gathering a length of water like a whip in one hand as she charged at Punga.

"You, Uutu!" Yǎn-sui shouted, balancing on the river as Uutu thrashed to his feet in water that only came up to his knees, "If you think you are worthy of claiming Huí's horns, you will fight me directly, with honor and without the water demon's trickery!"

"I never intended to fight you any other way, traitor!" Uutu raged.

"Then catch me if you can!" he taunted, jumping onto the shore and sprinting into the brush.

"COWARD!!!" Uutu shouted after him, "PUNGA! Leave her be! She is not ours to deal with! General Yǎn-sui has taken flight!"

"That's because..." Punga dodged another of Jiān's flails with ease, dancing about the river and casting arcs of ice at her with his chains like a child tormenting a cat with a stick, "That's because he _wants_ you to...!" He looked up just in time to see the thick foliage swallow up Punga's brilliant red topknot. "Why did I have to be paired up with the idiot?!" he demanded. Without even a backward sneer or last taunt to Jiān, the water demon sprinted after his young partner.

Jiān blinked, suddenly alone on the wide river. "That was...unexpected…"

* * *

'_That's it, follow me…'_ Yǎn-sui grinned as he sensed Punga join the chase. He had been right: in spite of his constant abuse of the younger demon, Punga, whether for honorable reasons or otherwise, would not allow his subordinate to face him alone.

It had been a bigger risk, leaving Jiān behind – Huí's head had said Jiān would be "dealt with," but Anu had been content with a mere threatening insult by way of salutation. Punga had mentioned a "schedule;" Yǎn-sui gambled that Jiān's life was a latter aspect of the enemy's operation.

'_And if it is indeed Koh behind this…'_ He intended to find out for certain.

Yǎn-sui ran at less than full speed – he was much faster than both demons, and their size was a disadvantage in the closed confines of the shadowy forest. _'Especially with that ridiculous sword the youngster carries,'_ he thought, rolling his eyes as he cleared a massive tangle of creeping thorns. A few seconds later, he heard Uutu crash right through them with a violent oath and burst of rage-induced flame. _'If I ever find out who was responsible for training that whelp, I'm going drag him by his thumbs over the Northern Ice Wastes and leave his carcass for the tiger-seals to gnaw on!'_ Such lax discipline got many warriors needlessly slaughtered.

He was searching for the right place to turn and fight, one that was far enough away from humans that Punga could not force him to break away to obey the bond of his contract, but also a place narrow enough to limit their elemental abilities as well as their weapons. He would take Uutu alive – he was the one most likely to talk, given the right encouragement. Punga was too dangerous to be left alive, as he was clearly the brains of the pair.

The ground was sloping upwards, the forest pressing up against the cliff. There! The smell of water that was not quite the river's. A small stream, meandering its way from the uplands down to the valley, through a defile by the sound of it, with high ground for him to claim: a perfect trap.

Yǎn-sui glanced over his shoulder; Uutu was falling behind, stymied by the undergrowth. He had expended vast amounts of energy to hack, slash and burn his way just to keep pace with Yǎn-sui, and the wound in his side was probably giving him more trouble than the gouge in Yǎn-sui's own shoulder. _'Just to make sure, then…'_ He turned about sharply, halted.

Uutu burst upon him headlong, nearly running past him in his zealous pursuit. Yǎn-sui could hear Punga crashing toward them in the near distance; he was slower on land than Yǎn-sui had expected.

"Why are you preying on the humans of this valley, Uutu?" Yǎn-sui asked the younger demon, who had jerked to a rather clumsy stop, his pudao catching in a tangle of branches overhead before he yanked it free.

"None of your business, traitor!" he snarled, leveling his pudao at Yǎn-sui, a threatening gesture rather undercut by the saplings that got in the way, snagging in the wicked teeth of the blade, "If you've had enough of running, return the horns and fight me!" Flames crackled and danced upon the pudao.

Rather than drawing Tiào-fěi, Yǎn-sui folded his arms across his chest. "Why should I, deserter?"

"Be-Because you have to!" blurted Uutu, sounding frustrated, blade-flames shivering in response. Blatant confusion overwhelmed anger on his face for a moment and Yǎn-sui's breath lanced in his lungs; it could not be his imagination.

'_By the Abyss… I should have guessed from the color of his fire…' _

Uutu suddenly remembered he had weapons other than his pudao. His paw flew for the pouch at the small of his back. "Give me the horns, damn you!" he snarled, sounding desperate.

"I will," Yǎn-sui found himself saying, "in exchange for..."

Shards of ice flew through the air, slicing bracken and young trees to splinters, burying in Yǎn-sui's palms as he raised his hands to shield his eyes. "Get down, whelp!" Punga roared, galloping toward the two fire demons, wielding his scythe like a deranged farmer, mowing down trees like they were blades of grass. His maw gaped wide.

_'Freezing breath! But how, he was not nearly high-ranked enough to...!_' Yǎn-sui slewed around, unsheathing Tiào-fěi and slashing through the tangle of bracken he had been standing in front of. The stream was just on the other side and he took off up the heights. Killing frost nipped at his heels as everything in the path of the polar cold Punga had unleashed turned to solid ice.

The slope of the defile was more like a series of steps carved into the cliffs for giants. Yǎn-sui leapt up and up and up again, dodging hails of ice and freezing breath that paralyzed the stream and what life it embraced in crystallized death. The chain sickle sliced at his arms and legs, but this he evaded as well. He was waiting, relying on the one tactic he knew his opponents had to use…

One of Uutu's bombs sailed overhead; Yǎn-sui sprang up, whirled in mid-air and slammed the iron ball with the flat of Tiào-fěi's left blade, knocking it back down the escarpment.

*_**BOOM!***_

Yǎn-sui, though thrown back by the concussion of the explosion, landed safely on an outcropping and looked down; the steep walls of the cliffs on either side cracked and trembled, raining stones down into the billowing white cloud of smoke that had swallowed Punga and Uutu.

"*COUGH**COUGH**HACK!!!* DAMMIT, UUTU, WHAT DID I JUST _SAY _ABOUT NOT THROWING THOSE THINGS IN HERE??!?!!" Punga railed, slapping away the stubborn wisps of smoke and the scorched ends of his beard, "You almost brought the damned cliffs down on us!"

"It's not like you were doing any better, with that ice-breath you were bragging on and on about!" Uutu argued, looking much the worse for wear; in addition to the spreading bloodstain soaking nearly the entire right side of his once-white uniform, his proud topknot had been knocked askew, his ebony hide dulled by grey dust and ash.

"Bet you thought that was pretty clever, black-mane?" Punga demanded sourly, casting an evil eye up at Yǎn-sui.

"Less clever than if I'd known about your freezing breath beforehand," replied Yǎn-sui.

"Oh that, well… live long enough you pick things up here and there," replied Punga in a manner that played at modesty, shrugging.

"When do you intend to stop scuttling away like lizard-tarantula under Agni's eye and fight us, traitor?" Uutu demanded, squeezing past Punga.

Punga smacked him on the back of his head and shoved him to the rear. "In case you haven't noticed, puppy, he's done just that." He smirked at Yǎn-sui. "Or do you intend to talk us to death?"

"I only need one of you alive," Yǎn-sui stated, "Punga, whatever grudge you bear with me, let us settle it now. And Uutu…" Uutu straightened unconsciously, which cause Punga to snort and roll his eye, "when I have killed him, and only then, I will answer your demand for my comrade's horns as befits demons of fire."

Uutu's eyes went wide. "I...I understand." He solemnly turned to Punga. "I will not interfere, not even to come to your aid, Punga. The Blue Spirit has offered an honorable challenge."

"… Tell me, how do manage to talk, let alone swing that over-sized knife of yours, with that spear rammed up your ass?" the ice demon wanted to know as Uutu jumped down to the next lowest ledge. Punga unslung the chains wrapped around his torso, now holding a weapon in each hand. "So, one-on-one, eh?" The chain sickle whirled into a blur, but Yǎn-sui kept an eye on the second weighted chain. "Let's go."

"Agreed." Yǎn-sui breathed out slowly, and Tiào-fěi's halves blazed with blue fire.

Punga grinned. "You finally being serious, or is this just common courtesy for me showing you one of my newer tricks?"

Yǎn-sui shrugged. _ 'Left or right… or neither… whatever move he makes, I have one chance to take him from above, force him around, use the Inferno to…'_

"Pity we won't be trading tiles anymore."

"Wha-?"

The rock beneath his feet suddenly went soft and he sank immediately up to his mid-calf. _'Sand…?!?'_ The ground behind him exploded in a flurry of dust and a yellow and orange blur slammed into him. Sharp fangs sank into his stomach, long claws burying in both of his thighs as the weight of his assailant sent him tumbling over the edge of the outcropping.

As he fell, Yǎn-sui thrust down with Tiào-fěi, endeavoring to impale the back of Hau's neck, but the diminutive sand demon had a lighting reflexes. He tore himself off Yǎn-sui, taking cloth, flesh, and blood with him, landing in an ungainly crouch just as Yǎn-sui crashed into the ground.

"Kee-hee-hee!" he giggled, baring his bloodstained fangs and licking them with his tongue. He had dispensed with the formless tunic, for easier movement through the rocks. Yǎn-sui heaved to his feet, bit back against the scream of pain that tore against his throat. His vision swam, but he grimly fed the flames that encircled Tiào-fěi.

"Back, Uutu!" Punga barked, thrusting his paw against the younger demon's chest as Uutu sprang up beside him.

"You said you would fight him one-on-one!" Uutu growled, shoving against Punga, "This isn't...!"

"Change of plans," replied the ice demon shortly as he rammed Uutu into the side of the cliff, his single eye fixated on Yǎn-sui and Hau, "Unless _you_ want to get between Hau and blood he's tasted."

Uutu's ears twitched as he stared at Yǎn-sui, who could barely stand upright. "I..."

'_I didn't sense him at all - he didn't even stir the ground before he attacked!'_ Yǎn-sui shook his head violently. His sight was fading in and out and he felt weakness like veins of poison spreading through his limbs. "Where... is Anu?"

"Anu drop Hau off. Said Hau ask to eat too many times, that Hau could eat black-mane if he shut up." Hau delicately licked the congealing blood from his long claws, easily half again as long as his paw, looking for all the world like a grotesque cat grooming itself after a hunt. Pinprick green eyes dilated and he gurgled in pleasure. "Black-mane... tasty."

Yǎn-sui blinked; Hau had vanished.

_'Underground again?!' _Yǎn-sui inhaled deeply, though it made the barely-healed wound in his gut gush more blood. '_Focus! Find him!'_

The sound of sand trickling... he slammed Tiào-fěi's blades into the ground at his feet, whirled, and blasted the cliff-face behind him with his fire breath.

Hau barreled out of the stone, shrieking incoherently, springing from rock to rock like a demented leaf-hopper. "Hot! Hot! Hot! Hot!" He landed splayed in front of Uutu and Punga, who both drew back warily, but his attention was only for Yǎn-sui. "Eat you now!" he screamed, swiping at the air, bloodlust gleaming in his eyes. His maw frothed pink with spittle and blood. "Eat everything! Eat humans! Eat you! Eat goddess!" he gibbered, "EAT THEIR BONES! DRINK YOUR BLOOD! **EAT HER HEART**!"

"Hau, you idiot!" Punga yelled, lunging forward to grab hold of Hau, "_She'll_ he...!"

"_**GGHHHHAAAA-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRR!!"**_

The earth trembled and shook, rocks falling from the heights. Hau looked about, blinking owlishly. "OOoooo...?"

Raw spirit energy like a tsunami slammed over them, knocking each of his feet. Yǎn-sui was thrown into a natural alcove recessed into the stream's fall, the back of his skull cracking against the wet stone. The world heaved again, and he dimly wondered if it was just his own imagination.

The spirit monster hurled itself into view, a gigantic Beast-form, shaggy moss-and-grey-green, with two pairs of violent yellow eyes on either side of its elongated skull, jaws like a saber-moose-lion (only at least as large as a dragon's) paws massive enough to crash down the gates of the Heavenly Court. Crushed beneath one these paws was Hau, his maw agape as he squealed in pain and horror.

"**DEMON! SO, THOU HAST REVEALED THY TRUE INTENT AT LAST! THIS ONE SHALL MAKE THEE RUE THE DAY THOU HAST COME TO MINE FATHER'S LAND!"**

He could feel the monster's roar tremble in his very bones, its wrath like hammer blows.

**"COME OUT, YOU OTHERS!"** it demanded.

From somewhere above, Punga's voice sounded: "We're right up here, Spirit; we're not going anywhere until you give him back to us!"

**"DEMON, COME AND CLAIM HIM!"**

"We do claim him, as is our right."

Yǎn-sui started, recognizing Anu's voice. The world suddenly righted itself as anger and hatred flooded him with intoxicating strength. Not caring if the spirit-monster saw him, he scrambled from the alcove into the open. "Anu!"

The wind demon, hovering almost directly above the spirit-monster on his opened wings, merely spared him a glance and a sneer. "Our agreement was with thy honored father, milady," Anu addressed the spirit-monster, "Until thy father hast dissolved our mutual promises, thou art but yet a neutral party." He bowed his head. "Lest thou wish that I here and now fight thee for my comrade's life, with all my power..."

The spirit-monster growled, a terrible sound indeed, but it was laden with the sullen acknowledgment of defeat. Hau scrambled out from under the paw as it slid off him, clambering up the side of the cliff and taking a flying leap onto Anu's shoulder, clinging to Anu's horn and gibbering like a frightened lemur.

**"GO HENCE, DEMON, BUT KNOW THIS: THIS ONE CALLS THEE "ENEMY" FROM THIS MOMENT FORTH."**

Anu saluted the spirit-monster gravely. "Punga, Uutu... we leave now," he said, lofting slightly higher into the air.

"Wait!" Yǎn-sui howled after him in helpless rage, "Fight me, Anu! Come back and... argh!"

"Pathetic," Anu muttered as Yǎn-sui fell to one knee, dropping one of half of Tiào-fěi to clutch his stomach as dark crimson liquid welled up between his fingers.

Yǎn-sui glared after him, saw him sweep his wings so that wind howled up the narrow passage between the cliffs with such force that Uutu and Punga were borne aloft. The four demons ascended on the wind into the low clouds, vanishing almost immediately.

"Hah... damn you...!" Yǎn-sui hissed, heaving himself to his feet, "Damn you!"

"So..."

He glanced to one side, where the spirit-monster should have been.

In its place stood a giant bear-dog, twice as tall as he at the shoulder, her fur the color of the monster's (her other form, he realized), her single pair of amber eyes scrutinizing him. Her thin black lip curled in much the same way Anu's had. "Thou hast fought thy second battle with these interlopers, and yet thou hast failed, yet again, to slay any of them. This one told Jiān she was a fool to bind thee."

Yǎn-sui released his stomach and, calling Tiào-fěi's fallen blade to his hand, faced her squarely. "You speak so lowly of my skills, Spirit, yet you had one beneath your very paw and did not crush him."

The spirit snorted wryly. "Thou, at least, hast returned as thou promised," she said, looking at Tiào-fěi.

He oddest sensation that she was talking to the blades... and that they were listening.

"This one shall do what is possible to safeguard thy behest for some time longer, until this... other..." her gaze flicked momentarily to Yǎn-sui, "decides to take his oath seriously. Demon..."

"My name is Yǎn-sui, servant of Lord Agni of..."

"Demon. Thou willt bid thy master, the Sky bison, and the Child of Air to come to the headwater of the river at the rise of the new moon. Make what preparations are necessary to defend what humans there are remaining alive to defend themselves: thy enemy is but five, and they are each stronger than thou canst possibly imagine."

"'Five'?" Yǎn-sui echoed, "Who is...?"

The spirit tossed her head and melted into the stones. "At the rise of the new moon, this one shall answer to thy master, and perhaps to thee."

Her presence was gone.

Yǎn-sui looked at Tiào-fěi. "She spoke as though she knew you; I hope for our sakes it was a companionable acquaintance." He shook his head disgustedly and sheathed the blades, glancing about the defile as he did so, more out of force of habit than any expectation that the enemy would reappear. '_Fate would have to start favoring me first.'_

His wounds were healing, but it would take some time to return to Jiān. Perhaps she would think to summon him, and save him the trouble...

His right arm suddenly burned with sharp, blazing heat - Huí's horns, burning! Yǎn-sui tore at the sleeves of his robes to rip the pouch away, only to find that there were no flames. _'An illusion? Am I going mindless from bloodloss?' _Yǎn-sui wondered, trailing his fingers over the leathern pouch. But no illusion produced such real pain, like a white-hot knife through the muscle and bone, he could still...!

... suddenly it vanished.

All of his pain vanished.

Nothing.

Fear should have gripped him, but his ability to feel at all had been swept away between one breath and the next.

"_But when I was… pushed aside… and my horns were taken and those words came out of my mouth… I felt __**nothing..."**_

Moving as though in a trance, Yǎn-sui slowly turned, looking up, up the climbing heights, to where ragged ends of depleted rain clouds moved in a serpentine dance.

From the mist, a bloodless white face stared down at him through pink-red eyes ringed by smudges of grey-purple shadows. Red, red lips parted and whispered a single word:

"_Soon."_

The world went dark as he fell senseless to the ground.

* * *

**A/N: **8D I had so very much trouble writing that fight scene... For those of you who were expecting Jiān to be kicking ass and taking names right from her first battle, sorry to disappoint. But let's be realistic, she's ultra powerful, yes, but power means nothing without discipline, like Yǎn-sui said. So, now she's getting a crash course.

I love, love, LOVE writing Punga - he is a smart-ass and a wily warrior without scruple. The next chapter will upset the narrative-dialogue pattern I have set for myself, just because I really need to get the plot moving. Let's just say that new-moon meeting will have more than a few revelations, for more than one character!


	21. Of Painted Marks and Secret Signs

_**Tales of the Spirit Age: Fall of the Blue Spirit**_

Part XIX: **Of Painted Marks and Secret Signs

* * *

**

_How long, in this darkness?_

"You will enter the world..."  
_How long... how many days' waking, nights' dreaming? _

"You will search without ceasing..."  
_How long in this Nothingness? _

"You will find him..."  
_Why is it... that it is always there, to tempt me, to enfold me... _

**"You will kill him."**  
_... to escape me? _

_"Hey, boss, snap out of it!"_

_The blow careened across his cheekplates, snapping his head back; if it had been anyplace but Here, his face surely would have been broken in. Y__ǎ__n-sui growled and squinted into the blazing red-gold fire that surrounded his subordinate. "I'm awake, Huí, you can stop shaking me now."_

_Huí dropped him like he would an irritated swamp-adder. "Well, heh, I was really worried, boss!" he exclaimed, sheepishly laying his paw behind his head, "You were muttering some really weird stuff and…" He noticed the look Y__ǎ__n-sui was giving him. "When I felt... that __**thing**__ again... I had to warn you," he said, taking a different tack._

_Y__ǎ__n-sui shook his head; even Death himself, it seemed, could not change Huí very much. "Thank you, Huí. I appreciate your concern ...and the fact you didn't use your battle-ax this time."_

_The large demon beamed happily._

_Y__ǎ__n-sui frowned, looking down at his empty paws; Tiào-fěi was missing once again. "At least now I know it wasn't Koh who I saw."_

_Huí flinched. "How do you know, boss? I mean, it LOOKED like... Him." The last word was whispered. He paused, considered. "Or at least, how everyone says He looks."_

_"If Koh had finally escaped the Abyss, we wouldn't be having this conversation, for one," answered Y__ǎ__n-sui distractedly, calling out to Tiào-fěi. The blades did not appear. "He would have no more need for us. He would have claimed you for Oblivion for attempting to interfere. And in case you have forgotten, Huí, He can steal any face He wants to suit His purpose."_

_"Oh, right..." Huí frowned bemusedly. It reminded Y__ǎ__n-sui of something._

_"Did you know?"_

_"Heh?" Huí rolled his lavender eyes up into his head and cracked his knuckles. "Know what? That He changes His face? Boss, you ju..."_

_Y__ǎ__n-sui narrowed his eyes and growled warningly._

_Huí's shoulders fell. "Yes, I did, boss. Sorry."_

_"Why didn't you tell me Uutu was your son the first time?" he asked as calmly as he could. Tiào-fěi could wait, for the time being._

_"Er..." Huí shuffled his feet guiltily._

_"Huí, I know how you feel about your spawn," his superior sighed, "If you think you were protecting him, you..."_

_"That's not it!" Huí interrupted, "I just didn't want you to think you had to go easy on him!"_

_Y__ǎ__n-sui blinked. "Huí, your son is a deserter and I have a responsibility as his general to dispense judgm..."_

_"But you didn't!" Huí shouted angrily, his paws fisting and nostrils flaring, "The moment you suspected he was mine, you decided to give him a chance! And look what happened to you!"_

_"__**Hau**__ is what happened to me, not that whelp," Y__ǎ__n-sui averred, glaring, "Uutu was prepared to duel me to reclaim your horns. I would have given him an honorable death."_

_"That's what I mean, boss," insisted Huí passionately, "You're not supposed to give favors! My spawn turned his back on Agni, he's attacking your master's realm: he's earned a deserter's death!" The large demon sat down and held his head in his trembling paws. "And he's been calling you a traitor for Abyss knows what reason this whole time. Boss... Boss, I'm sorry." Loud snuffles escaped his paws; Y__ǎ__n-sui of course knew that demons could not cry, but there were times he was certain Huí managed to do it through pure willfulness._

_With a sigh, he sat down next to his mournful subordinate. "Did you ever try speaking to him?" he asked after several moments, "Like this, I mean."_

_Huí nodded, not lifting his face from his paws. "A couple of times, when... that __**thing**__ wasn't around. But the whelp's not a good listener."_

_"I gathered as much," Y__ǎ__n-sui said wryly, "Seems he takes after his sire in more ways than one."_

_Huí snorted, finally looking down at him. "Boss, I'm serious - you can't cut him any slack because of me. He __**chose**__ to turn rogue. He __**deserves**__ his fate."_

_"He deserves whatever fate I care to give him, Huí," Y__ǎ__n-sui reminded him, "I will make him serve my master by telling me about the thing that bears Koh's face and how he is yet able to wield his fire." Huí regarded him with cautious hope, which Y__ǎ__n-sui pretended not to notice. "For that service, I will give him a warrior's death. Rest easy on that point, Huí."_

_His subordinate closed his eyes, bowed his head. "All right, boss; if __**you**__ say it's all right, then I guess it's all right."  
_  
'After all that's happened, his loyalty is unquestioning,'_ Y__ǎ__n-sui thought sadly; it was something he should have expected. Explaining himself to Huí was a self-indulgent exercise in conscience._

_"All that's left is learning how to use cold fire," he said, changing the subject._

_Huí literally fell over. "WHAAAAAAAAAAAT??!" he asked, his eyes practically starting from his head, "Bu…but…!"_

_"I'm quite aware that no demon has ever mastered it," Y__ǎ__n-sui cut him off, "But that earth spirit said I was facing an enemy much stronger I than I can comprehend." He paused, recalling the face he had seen in the mists. "If she's not being melodramatic, I must bring all possible weapons to bear."_

_Huí's jaw hung slack as he stared at Y__ǎ__n-sui. "Boss, if anyone can learn how to use lightning, it's you. But if you don't get it to work, it'll __**kill**__ you!"_

_"I'm aware that our race's nature would otherwise make controlling lightning impossible, but then you were the one who convinced me to trust the river goddess and walk on water," he pointed out, "If I can overcome one impossibility in service to my master, why not another?"_

_The other demon closed his maw with a thoughtful snap. "Well, boss, if you put it that way…" He grinned and got to his feet, clapping a paw on Y__ǎ__n-sui's shoulder. "Just don't die trying to do it, eh? That'd be embarrassing. And no one'd be left to protect the water chick."_

_"Yes, I'll keep that in mind," Y__ǎ__n-sui replied a trifle sarcastically. He paused, suddenly aware that it was time to return to the waking world. "Huí, I will keep my promises. If by any chance we cannot meet again, I…"_

_"Eh, boss, don't start getting sentimental on me – it's kinda scary if you do," his friend interrupted jovially, shaking Y__ǎ__n-sui playfully so that he almost got whiplash, "Be seeing you?"_

_Y__ǎ__n-sui shook his head, smothering a smile. "Be seeing you," he agreed._

_The darkness swallowed Huí's presence like a candle's flame extinguished by night wind, and he was alone again…_

* * *

Yǎn-sui stared up at the shadowy underside of a wooden roof. Water flowed somewhere below him, beneath the woven reed mats and the planks he lay upon. The faintly musky-sweet smoke of burning _ai-ring_ incense mingled with the thick, musty green smell of water-logged wood, though it was not nearly enough to cover the decaying stench of many humans packed together, nor the acrid sting of their fear. He could hear the murmuring of their voices, jarring discordance against the peaceful whisper of the river, reverberating through the small dark room.

One of them was in the room with him, though he was quiet and smelled of northern wind and rain rather than fear. Rinzen.

"How long have I…?" he muttered, finding his throat dry and his voice a harsh rasping grate in his own ears.

"Oh, you're awake!" Light footsteps tapped across the floor and then Rinzen was crouching beside him, smiling in relief. The lowering shadows that crowded the room could not hide the somewhat anxious, worn condition of his face.

"What evening is it?" Yǎn-sui asked, sensing the descent of Agni's eye somewhere outside.

"It's still today," the human informed him readily. He seemed about to say something, then changed his mind. "Jiān said demons were fast healers, but I guess I had to see it myself to believe it!" He rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly. "She was the one who found you, by the way, and she was only able to do that thanks to the amount of blood you spilled into the river."

Yǎn-sui sat up, wincing at the immediate stab of pain radiating from where Hau's fangs and claws had torn into him. _'Poison? He's even more dangerous than I thought.'_ "Not by choice, I assure you," he muttered, pulling aside the worn blanket covering him. He paused.

Other than some rather unnecessary bandages wrapped about his torso and upper thighs, he was clad only in Jiān's glamour.

"Seeing as you looked like you'd been chewed up and spit out, you're going to need some new clothes," remarked the airbender with slightly more of his customary humor as he handed Yǎn-sui a cloth bundle. It turned out to be a pair of baggy brown pants that were quite clean despite their patched and ragged state. "Those will have to do for now."  
Yǎn-sui stood and pulled on the garment, ducking to avoid slamming his head into the low ceiling. The armband containing Huí's horns was still securely fastened about his bicep and Tiào-fěi was propped up on the wall opposite him beside a half-opened bamboo screen. Next to it stood the incense burner, a crude, cast-iron pot on three stubby legs, five thinly-smoking half-burned joss sticks of incense thrust into the grey sand therein. "I am in Elder Yu's house," he ascertained, recognizing the main sitting room and the outdoor deck beyond through the opening in the screen. The lantern hanging in the center of the room's ceiling had been lit to ward off the coming night.

He tied the pants around his hips, feeling slightly ridiculous, as they extended only a little way past his knees.

Rinzen nodded, visibly struggling to keep a straight face. "By the way, Jiān's out in the village visiting a group of refugees that just arrived," he said, "They've been showing up here since I took that valley tour on your behalf. Looks like we're not going to have to do as much running around as we thought."

"Jiān is unharmed?" he asked, choosing to ignore the human's merriment at his expense. He walked over to the bamboo screen and slid it aside, picking up Tiào-fěi as he entered the sitting room.

"You could say that." Rinzen moved with surprising alacrity to join him, ignoring the puzzled look Yǎn-sui was giving him. "From what she told me, _you_ were the only one the demons were after," he said pointedly, and Yǎn-sui wondered what exactly the airbender found fault with. Rinzen knelt down at the low table in the center of the room, indicating with a nod of his head that Yǎn-sui should take the cushion to his right. "Is that why you left her and led them off to a place they could all gang up on you?"

Yǎn-sui crouched down where Rinzen indicated, half-unsheathing Tiào-fěi to inspect the blades. "Punga figured out that I was bound to protect humans, not necessarily Jiān," he replied quietly, after a pause, "He was going to wipe out the village so that my efforts would be divided and I would be easier to kill." He sheathed Tiào-fěi with a snap.

Rinzen quirked an eyebrow. "Looks like they managed to work you over nicely enough without having to do something like that," he noted.

"Indeed; I was caught off-guard," Yǎn-sui admitted, laying Tiào-fěi across his lap and glancing at the open doorway that led to the inner house. The hall was dark, though he could hear and smell other humans moving about in another room beyond.

The airbender did not seem content to let the matter drop. "You left Jiān behind," he pressed, "You should have at least…!"

"My master is not yet able to fight in a disciplined manner," he interrupted shortly, becoming irritated, "If I had given those two the time to attack the village, I doubt very much she could have maintained control."

"… You could be right about that," Rinzen agreed reluctantly, frowning, "But why leave her behind? How could you be certain they wouldn't go after her the second you turned your back?"

"I do not have to explain myself to you, _human_," Yǎn-sui informed him coldly, "The only one who I owe such deference to is my master."

Rinzen's grey eyes narrowed. "You gambled with her life, and you expect me to say nothing about it?" he demanded, "Listen, I don't care if you're the mightiest demon general to ever fight in this Spirit War, you can't…!"

"Ah!"

Human and demon started and looked up to see an equally startled young woman standing in the doorway from the inner house, regarding them with wide amber eyes over a tray bearing a small, steaming teapot accompanied by a single teacup.

"Oh, good evening, Lien!" Rinzen greeted in a tone of voice so warm and friendly that it made Yǎn-sui blink at the rapidity of the change. The airbender practically shot to his feet and hurried over to the woman, relieving her of the tray. "You didn't have to bring tea yourself," he said in a low, urgent voice, frowning concernedly, "You could have asked Kiyo or Xing to take care of it for you!"

"They're busy preparing the dinner," replied Lien coolly, her expression irked rather than flattered. She was younger than she had appeared at first glance; a female scant years out of childhood, Yǎn-sui guessed. "I wanted to be useful, Master Rinzen." She glanced at Yǎn-sui and he belatedly recognized her as the woman he had pulled out of the boat. Humans looked remarkably the same to him, after all, and she had changed her clothes, tying her long black hair back under a white scarf.

His eyes widened. There was also…

"I apologize for startling you earlier today," he said, rising and bowing slightly to her.  
Rinzen gaped at him as though he had suddenly sprouted an extra pair of horns.

"You had good reason to take such action," she said formally, paying the airbender no heed and returning the bow, "Thank you for coming to our aid, Master Yǎn-sui."

"I serve the priestess and at her command protect all the hu… all the people of the valley," he replied in the same manner, glaring at Rinzen.

Lien cocked her head so that the ends of the scarf floated over the shoulders of her loose, modestly-cut auburn tunic. "I think you genuinely don't care that you risked your life for Xing and me," she remarked, sizing him up with half-veiled eyes that glinted in the lantern-light, "I think that's a refreshing honesty."

Rinzen suddenly snapped back to reality. "Lien, that's a terrible thing to say! Even to him!" he protested weakly.

The woman glanced at him, smirking slightly. "You sound like the elder," she said, and it was not a compliment. "I'll be right back with another teacup, and no, you don't need to get it for me," she interrupted before Rinzen could offer.

With another curt bow to human and demon, she turned and disappeared back down the hall.

"Hm…" Yǎn-sui thoughtfully resumed his seat on the floor. _'So, they don't even seclude such females who can bend fire. Interesting…'_

"Man, I really put my foot into that one," Rinzen muttered, rejoining him and absently placing the tea tray on the table, "Should have figured anything I said would come off as patronizing."

"Hn."

Rinzen glanced at Yǎn-sui, who appeared lost in thought, and frowned. "By the way," he continued conversationally, pouring his tea, "Lien is distantly related to Elder Yu – a great-grand-niece once-removed or something to that effect; people around here are very strong on blood ties, so it's a huge point in your favor that you rescued her."

"Hn."

The corner of Rinzen's left eye twitched; Yǎn-sui did not seem to be paying him any heed as he stared fixedly at the dark hallway Lien had disappeared down. "Her husband and daughter were killed in the attack on her village, and she convinced the four other survivors and survivors from other villages to come here to Lài-nang to gather the valley's strength; she's that kind of woman," he said rather loudly, before drinking his tea, "When she heard about your plan to fight the demons, she decided to come to Jiang Hui to help you out."

"She wants revenge," Yǎn-sui corrected suddenly, "That is good. She is a firebender. That is also good." He smiled, baring his teeth. "She is with child. That's _very_ good."

"_THHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHBBBBBBPPPPPPTTT~!!!!_"

"Is something wrong with your tea?" he asked, rather put off by the amount of liquid Rinzen suddenly and inexplicably spewed across the table.

"ARE YOU _**INSANE**_??!?!" Rinzen demanded, coughing and choking as he stared at Yǎn-sui.

"Master Rinzen, do you really think it's a good idea to be yelling at someone who just woken up from grievous injury?" Elder Yu nodded briefly to Yǎn-sui as he entered the room, Lien and a young boy just behind him.

"Whoa, Rinzen, I thought you liked rain-flower tea," the boy remarked, noticing the spray pattern that decorated the wall and paper screen across from the airbender, "Nice distance though – you didn't even get any on the table!"

"Er, thanks…" Rinzen said uncomfortably, "Yǎn-sui, this boy is Xing, the…"

Xing stopped admiring the tea-spray and noticed Yǎn-sui. "Did you kill them?" he demanded, interrupting Rinzen. His yellow eyes were wide and his breathing was suddenly harsh and eager as his hands clenched into fists. "You did, didn't you?"

"No," Yǎn-sui replied quietly without having to ask what the whelp meant, sensing surging hate and fire that the boy's small frame literally shook with.

"What?" the boy gasped, clearly not expecting Yǎn-sui's answer.

Elder Yu and Lien seemed rather taken aback as well. "Master Yǎn-sui, how is it possible for you to have met head-on with those demons and lived if you had not killed them?" the old man wanted to know as he lowered himself onto a cushion across from Rinzen.

"It was a draw," Yǎn-sui answered truthfully. He felt Rinzen's eyes on him, but the airbender remained silent. "When my master returns, I will explain the necessary details to her."

"'Necessary'?" Lien uttered; he could not discern if she was amused, angry, or merely disinterested.

"But… but the priestess _said_ you were here to kill the demons!" Xing insisted, "You're not supposed to ru…!"

"That is enough, Xing!" Lien said, eyes cold and hard as she glared at the boy, "Even priestesses can be mistaken at times."

Xing blinked, his mouth opening slightly but no words came. Without warning, he fled the room, his footsteps thudding out of hearing as he barreled out of the house.

Yǎn-sui cocked his head at Lien, surprised by her audacity. _'It would be a pity if jealousy or bitterness toward Jiān renders her useless to me.'_

"Lien, you were right to scold Xing, but please refrain from disrespecting Lady Jiān while you are under my roof," Elder Yu said lightly, "It would be in Master Yǎn-sui's right to take offense on her behalf." The stern look he gave the young woman belied the gentle tone of his admonition.

"My apologies, Elder," Lien said, bowing her head as if chastened, setting two teacups on the table and filling them, "I spoke out of turn."

Elder Yu's expression immediately softened to concerned fondness as he accepted a steaming cup from her. "You are tired from your ordeal, Lien; any woman in your condition would be," he said. Yǎn-sui regarded the old human with interest: he was as aged and frail in body as ever, but for some reason, his spirit seemed stronger as he regarded the woman beside him. As if sensing Yǎn-sui's scrutiny, Elder Yu crinkled his eyes at Yǎn-sui over his teacup. "I assume Master Rinzen has told you that Lien is a relation of mine: you have my thanks, Master Yǎn-sui."

"I would prefer your faith in my abilities, Elder Yu," he replied as Lien moved quietly around the table and knelt beside him, the remaining teacup cradled between her fingers, "As well as your trust in my strategy for defending this valley."

Lien stiffened slightly as Yǎn-sui's fingers brushed against hers in accepting the teacup, but it might have been his imagination; she moved away and took the place across from him, her face a composed mask of disinterest.

Elder Yu smiled and chuckled appreciatively. "We'll see about that, warrior," he said in far more benevolent tone than he had used with Yǎn-sui before.

Rinzen coughed softly. "Not that it's really my place to say so, Elder Yu," he said in a deliberately off-handed manner as he inspected the dregs at the bottom of his empty teacup, "But it seems Yǎn-sui has proved he is committed to protecting your people, at the risk of his own life. He fought two demons to a draw. What more do you require of him to earn your support?"

"That he is a remarkable warrior, I have no doubt," the old man replied in the same manner, "But I cannot allow my personal appreciation of his rescue of my kin to decide the fates of everyone else."

"Even if Lady Jiān asks that you do?" Rinzen asked respectfully.

Elder Yu paused. "When I have clearly understood what you intend to do, Master Yǎn-sui," he said, looking over at him, "I will give you my unbiased judgment. But I can say now that having Master Rinzen as well as Lady Jiān as your advocates does you credit."

"My thanks, Elder," Yǎn-sui said, aware that pressing the man any further right then would only waste breath. He mentally ground his fangs; it seemed dithering was a human specialty, no matter how wise or powerful a particular person was supposed to be.

"If I may, Elder," Lien said, bowing her head modestly, although Yǎn-sui detected steel in her tone, "We are right to revere those who years have brought to them great wisdom and the judgments they make with great care. Quite reflection and caution do often lead to a sounder course of action than those taken in the heat of the moment. However," here, Lien's voice trembled slightly, and Yǎn-sui sensed a momentary flare of rage even more potent than the child's, "now we are facing a terrifying enemy who moves with the speed of Agni's heavenly lash. Should not the advocacy of such eminent persons as the priestess and Master Rinzen convince a wise man with the weight of many lives on his judgment that the time for meditation has ended and that a warrior of such standing may indeed be the deliverance we seek?"  
If Yǎn-sui been a demon of less experience with the ways of the Heavenly Court, he would have smirked. _'This female… I like her…'_

Elder Yu gave Lien a hard look, which the woman met calmly, neither challenging nor yielding. Rinzen tensed, and for a moment, Yǎn-sui was afraid he would speak and ruin Lien's gambit.

"Lien, you…" the elder began.

Another presence intruded on Yǎn-sui's awareness. _'Jiān has returned…'_ He sighed; he never seemed favored by circumstances that hung solely on fortuitous timing.

"Pardon my intrusion, Elder Yu!" the goddess called out from the entranceway, causing the humans around the table to start in surprise, "I'm back from visiting the newest arrivals!"

"We are in the sitting room, Lady Priestess," Elder Yu replied, turning away from Lien, "Your servant has revived, and…"

The rapid tip-tap of bare feet like rain before an advancing summer storm pattered down the hallway and Jiān burst into the room, her eyes immediately going to Yǎn-sui. "Yǎn-sui!" she gasped, "You…!"

Yǎn-sui, already on his feet, bowed low. "Milady, I have reco…"

Small hands clamped on his upper arms like vices. "WHY IN THE NAME OF ALL THAT IS HOLY BENEATH LA'S LANTERN DID YOU DO THAT?!?!?!" she demanded shaking him so hard that he literally saw double for several moments after she let go, "I understand you're a great warrior, but you're going to end up like _that_ every time…!"

"Milady, I weighed the options and acted as I saw f…"

"_YOU ALMOST GOT KILLED!_" Jiān shouted, eyes blazing as she glared up at him, prodding his chest with a finger, "Can't you let go of your sense of pride _for one second_ and at least let me…!"

"Milady…" Yǎn-sui interrupted again, more forcefully. He was about to point out that her first test of battle had come under rather inconvenient circumstances when he noticed peculiar marks on her face that he had first taken to be a trick of weak, flickering light and shadow.

"Eep!" Jiān blurted as Yǎn-sui clasped her chin, tilting it so that the full light of the lantern shone on the crimson slashes that marred the right and left side of her face, just above the jawline to within two finger-widths of her lips.

"Yǎn-sui, what the- !?" Rinzen exclaimed, jumping up and staring in disbelief.

"Master Yǎn-sui!" Elder Yu gasped at the same time. Lien also stared in shock at the way the hulking warrior manhandled his diminutive master.

Yǎn-sui paid them no heed as he gazed at the demonic marks. "How… why…?" he breathed, wanting to disbelieve his eyes. _ '"Condemned to Death"?! How is this possible?!'_ Not only those, but marks on either side her neck... He impatiently brushed aside the curtain-fall of her hair, staring at the incomprehensible mis-match. _'"Power"? "Power to..." what? These Signs make no sense!'_

"Yǎn-sui?" the goddess managed, her voice trembling slightly.

Her voice snapped him out of his dumbfounded trance. "Milady, forgive… where…" He hurriedly released her and fell to one knee, gripping Tiào-fěi so tightly its scabbard creaked. "Thine unworthy servant humbly requests to know whether the foul wielder of ice did cause those marks upon thy countenance by injury that this unworthy se…"

"No, no, nothing like that!" Jiān interrupted hurriedly, pulling at his shoulder, endeavoring to get him to his feet. "It's… it's something I need to talk to you about, so don't start this courtly slave act or I really will get angry," she said under her breath at a volume only Yǎn-sui's demon ears could catch.

"Elder Yu, I have tended to the wounded that have arrived – the sickness is nothing you need to worry about, please tell the rest of the village," she said to the old man, who was still staring at the pair with shock that was quickly sliding toward censure. Yǎn-sui rose, hearing little of what she said, his heart pounding like thunder in his ears. His entire body was trembling with… rage? Disgust? … Shame? _ 'Punga, you shall suffer dearly for this blasphemy…'_

"Come on, Yǎn-sui, you have something important to tell me _and_ Rinzen?" Jiān said, gripping his free hand between hers and giving him a look that was both stern and pleading.

Rinzen cocked an eyebrow at Yǎn-sui; clearly, the airbender was still displeased by his earlier display but somewhat mollified by the promise of hearing whatever story Yǎn-sui had to tell.

"Of course. Please, my house is yours when you are under my roof, Lady Priestess," Elder Yu said. Jiān more or less forcibly pulled Yǎn-sui out onto the deck overlooking the river, Rinzen and Lien close behind.

"Master Yǎn-sui," the woman said, pausing with one hand on the screen. She glanced away when Yǎn-sui looked at her. "I meant no disrespect earlier. I have complete faith in you, as your master does. I will... speak to Xing." With that, she shut the screen, leaving goddess, demon, and human to their conference in the twilight.

"At the very least you managed to impress Lien," Jiān remarked, looking at the closed screen and soundly slightly impressed herself, "Good for you - that's not easily done!"

"Tell me about it," Rinzen muttered, slumping against one of the posts supporting the overhanging and looking significantly at Yǎn-sui. "All right, Yǎn-sui, it's time to tell us what really happened after you went and played vole-and-hawk with your demon compatriots."

"How did you get those marks?" Yǎn-sui asked Jiān directly, ignoring Rinzen. "Milady," he added as an afterthought.

Jiān knelt down on the deck and spent an inordinate amount of time arranging her skirts around her, avoiding his intense stare. "It was… well, it wasn't Punga, so you can stop worrying about that, I mean, he didn't even seem serious about fighting me, which is downright insulting when you get down to it, I don't care if it was my first battle, he really _ought_ to have gone all out against me, for all he knew I'm as good a fighter as…!"

"What Lady Jiān is trying to say is," Rinzen interjected, ignoring both Yǎn-sui's glare and Jiān's yelp of protest, "those things suddenly appeared when she tried to heal you."  
Yǎn-sui's gaze swiveled back to Jiān; the goddess was pointedly staring out over the river, her shoulders tense. "_I_ marked you?" he uttered, feeling as though an unseen hand had forcibly wrenched the air from his lungs.

"No!" she exclaimed, looking up at him anxiously. She hesitated, seeming confused. "I mean, you didn't actually reach up and put them on me or anything, they just…" The goddess took a deep breath and indicated that she wanted Yǎn-sui to sit next to her.

He did so, albeit rather tensely, placing Tiào-fěi on the deck beside him.

"When we found you, Rinzen, Lhamu and I, you were face-down and bleeding out all over the place. When I turned you over and saw the wounds in your stomach, I tried healing them with…"

"That was unnecessary and dangerous," Yǎn-sui interjected sharply, "You already risked your life to mend my horn, as far as you need concern yourself, milady, you should not waste anymo…"

"I'll do what I want with you, if I'm your master!" Jiān flared, making the deck beneath them shudder with a sudden surge of the river.

"Of course," Yǎn-sui agreed quietly after a pause, "Forgive my impudence, milady."

Jiān looked stricken. "That's not what I meant, Yǎn-sui, I...!"

"Milady, I desire to learn the origin of those marks; any debate regarding my status as your slave is surely less important," he said calmly.

"Jiān, leave it for now," Rinzen advised as the goddess tried to protest, "If he wants to be stubborn, I don't think anything in Heaven, Earth, or Hell is going to change that."

"..." Jiān looked steadily at Yǎn-sui as she spoke, "When I saw the extent of your injuries, I tried healing them directly with water from the air since the stream was not running properly. You... pulled away from me suddenly and because you still had your swords in your hands..."

"I almost lost my left leg," Rinzen supplied, not sounding so much angry as amused by the idea, "I hope it was only because you were unconscious and couldn't control your body, not because you harbor a deep-seated grudge." He smirked.

"I needed to take away your weapons, because I was worried you might hurt yourself or someone else," she continued, "But when I touched the hilts... I felt sharp pain on my face and neck and Rinzen said I was bleeding."

Yǎn-sui cocked his head, glancing at Rinzen. Since the airbender was aware that Jiān was a water goddess, he must have known better than to presume she had the same blood as humans. However, the shock of seeing such marks appear, even without knowing what they meant, must have been too much for his simple human faculties.

"Well, it looked that way for a couple seconds," Rinzen clarified with a frown, apparently reading the scorn in Yǎn-sui's eyes, "The second she let go of you, or rather, your swords, the "blood" dried and that" he waved in Jiān's general direction, "is the result."

Agni's eye sank below the horizon and true night blanketed them; ashore, parrot-frogs began calling for their mates, the screeching _chirrupi-ah_s punctuating the tense silence that took hold of divinity, demon, and man.

"Milady…" Yǎn-sui inclined his head to Jiān, who startled slightly, "If you would, permit me to examine those marks more closely."

"Of course," she replied, sounding relieved for whatever reason, "Um…"

"This will only take a few moments," Yǎn-sui said, carefully raising her chin with his cupped palm. There was little light, but Yǎn-sui's eyes had adjusted to the darkness so that the crimson slashes stood out against Jiān's moon-pale skin as if under a noon sun. Yǎn-sui scrutinized the marks along her jawline. He had not been mistaken; they were the same carved into the faces of condemned demons, those who would then suffer the long and painful death of being shackled and having their jaws broken continually until they starved to death or went mad from the agony.  
_  
'However, such a sentence is meant only for those who have defied Koh; why would such things be painted on the face of a goddess?'_ Yǎn-sui wondered. He leaned in and sniffed at the left mark. Nothing, only Jiān's human-muddled divine river scent; if the marks had indeed "bled" as Rinzen said, the unmistakable and long-lingering odor of blood had already faded.  
Jiān's heart was thudding distractingly loud as he turned his attention to the even more puzzling marks on the sides of her neck. _'Twin slashes, side-by-side…Power.'_ He frowned, measuring the space between them with his fingers. _ 'No, that's not quite right… they're too far apart.'_ However, given their placement across the jugular on either side, perhaps… _'"Protection"? That might explain why I did not read them correctly the first time. Then again, I'm assuming these are indeed demon marks.'_ Not that they could be anything else, not if they appeared in reaction to Jiān coming in direct contact with his blood. _ 'But why… Tiào-fěi… Tiào-fěi was the catalyst?'_ He narrowed his eyes, looking down at Tiào-fěi and recalling the earth spirit's words to the swords. _'There is another influence here I have not given credit to… can it be that…?'_

"So… um… should I go and help Lien and Kiyo with the dinner?" Rinzen suddenly broke in, "Leave you two alone for a while, maybe?"

Yǎn-sui shot him a puzzled look, noticing that Rinzen looked distinctly uncomfortable. "I thought you wanted to know the meaning behind these marks," he pointed out.

"Well yeah, but…" Rinzen struggled for words, looking at Jiān as if asking for help.

The demon did so as well, not understanding the human's intent.

"That's hardly necessary, Rinzen," Jiān replied a trifle stiffly, brushing a few strands of hair out of her face, "Yǎn-sui is… finished. Correct?"

Yǎn-sui noticed he was still touching the pulse-point of her throat and drew his hand back sharply. "Yes, milady – I apologize the need for such proximity, but now I can make a preliminary conjecture as to the nature and intent of those demonic markings."

"Eh? 'Demonic'?" Rinzen echoed, suddenly no longer interested in fleeing the scene.

Yǎn-sui nodded. "Unlike the other Races, Demons have no written language – we have borrowed that which we learned from our Masters, the Gods," he began, "However, as we are Chaos given Form after His Nature, certain Signs scribed in blood have come to carry Meaning." He paused, looking from Jiān to Rinzen; what he was telling them was not quite forbidden to be discussed with those who were not demons, but he could not escape a certain reluctance to reveal the secret of the Marks. "What has been painted on Lady Jiān are two Signs: a sentence of Death and a ward placing her under Protection."

"Wait, what do you mean, a 'sentence of death'?!" Rinzen blurted, shooting to his feet and gaping at Yǎn-sui.

"Is that why you were so angry that Punga might have been the cause of them?" Jiān asked immediately, understanding dawning on her face.  
Yǎn-sui nodded at her. "The sentence is meant for criminals of the demon race, Rinzen," he said to the airbender, "But they are negated by the Sign of Protection. At least, that is how I read them."

"Oh." Rinzen sat down, staring at the marks on Jiān's face with bewilderment. "But why those marks, and why now? The demons have been running around the valley for at least a month, and you've already fought them, even before today. How did they get there, if they or you weren't the ones responsible?"

"… Those are all questions I do not have an answer to, only the barest thread of suspicion that is not even worth mentioning," Yǎn-sui replied reluctantly, "My apologies, milady."  
Jiān looked thoughtful. "Are these marks in anyway capable of carrying out some action, Yǎn-sui?" she asked, "I mean, by having them, will I be placed under the control of K… the Shadowking or any other demon?"

Yǎn-sui paused, considered. "They do not have direct effect on demons, no," he replied carefully, "It is only when the Meaning is read does the bearer or the recipient carry out the intent of the message, if there is one."

The goddess smiled. "That's a relief," she said, "As long as I don't have to worry about suddenly losing control of myself, then I don't think either of you should worry overmuch about them either."

"But…" Rinzen and Yǎn-sui began in unison.

"I will not concern myself – neither will you," Jiān stated clearly and with ironclad finality, still smiling, "We have other things to discuss, do we not?"

"But…"

"What happened between you and Punga and Uutu after you led them away, Yǎn-sui?" she asked pointedly, not giving either a chance to protest, "From what I saw after I removed the blood, you weren't cut by any bladed weapon. And there was poison in the wound that I did not recognize: it even affected the water I tried to heal you with."

"Hau," Yǎn-sui supplied with a growl, "did that."

"Hau is that little sand demon you told me about, right?" Rinzen interjected, frowning, "One demon alone tore you up that badly, even after you held off Uutu and Punga?"

"He ambushed me in the defile I had led the other two into," explained Yǎn-sui, "He… is a berserker... and something more. Worse. He intends to eat Jiān, if what he was spouting wasn't a product of madness."

Jiān touched her chin thoughtfully. "I don't like the sound of that. Is it possible the demons are god-eaters after all?"

"It seems that way," Yǎn-sui admitted grimly.

"Wait, what?" Rinzen raised his hands slightly, sounding overwhelmed. "First of all it's demon marks that mean completely opposite things, and now you two are talking about demons who eat gods? What is going on here?!"

"More than simple massacres of humans, but that was suspect from the start," Yǎn-sui replied in clipped tones. "Hau's attack was stopped by an earth spirit, once he shouted out his intention to devour you, Jiān," he said to the goddess.

"Oh!" she exclaimed happily.

"What?" Yǎn-sui asked after several beats when no explanation seemed forthcoming.

"Not 'what,' who!" she replied excitedly.

"What?" Rinzen asked, also confused.

"I just said, _who_, not _what_!" Jiān admonished, shaking her head.

"No, you said, 'oh,'" clarified Yǎn-sui.

"Not 'oh,' _Oh_!" she riposted, becoming impatient.

"… what?" both males chorused, looking at her as if she had suddenly announced that cow-hippo-tipping was her favorite sport.

"Urgh…" Jiān groaned into her hands.

"Now that's something different entirely – are we still having the same conversation?" Rinzen wanted to know.

"If you could call it a conversation…" Yǎn-sui muttered to himself.

"What I mean is…!" Jiān practically shouted. She paused, took a deep calming breath, and continued. "She took the form of a giant bear-dog, right? The spirit's _name_ is "Oh.""

"Oooohhh…" Rinzen said, finally understanding.

"No, it's not pronounced that way," Jiān corrected, "It's more just a…"

"Yes, that was the spirit I encountered," Yǎn-sui interjected hurriedly, before the farce could play out any longer, "It seems Punga knew she might be following them with the objective of determining their true intentions in this valley. Anu came only to rescue Hau from her paws; he spoke of an agreement with the spirit's father that the spirit… Oh, could not violate."

"An 'agreement'?" Jiān repeated, sounding distressed, "If Oh and Hái-dǎo promised something to demons, that might be troublesome."

"I'm assuming Hái-dǎo would be Oh's father?" Rinzen asked gamely, "Why would they make a treaty with demons and not tell you about it? I would expect Earth spirits would be friendly with Water."

Yǎn-sui coughed, smothering a sardonic snort. _ 'Human naivety trumps even Jiān's, apparently.'_

Rinzen frowned at him.

"Well, I consider Oh a friend, for certain," Jiān said hesitantly, "I like to think she holds me with the same regard. Hái-dǎo is… not so much a friend or even an enemy as simply disinterested." She noticed the uncomprehending stares she was receiving from human and demon alike. "It's… rather complicated, and I don't really know if I should be talking about it without Oh to explain things from her point of view."

"Oh told me she desires to meet with you at the headwater at the rise of the new moon in order to do just that," said Yǎn-sui, "She also was kind enough extend the invitation to Rinzen and Lhamu, while informing me that I faced only five enemies, but that they were all stronger than I could 'possibly imagine.' She told me that I must move all the humans to the island for safety before the time of the meeting."

"Well… that was nice of her," Rinzen said after a pause, "I guess this means she approves of your plan as well?"

"Or it could be that she didn't care to offer a better one," Yǎn-sui said, "She didn't strike me much as one who concerns herself with humans."

"Eh-heh, you might be more right than you know," Jiān said to herself, looking slightly abashed. She stood up in a brisk rustle of flowing silken skirts. "Then that settles it – if Oh gives us only nine days to carry out the evacuation, there's a reason for it. We must convince Elder Yu tonight to support Yǎn-sui, without fail!"

"There is one last thing, milady," Yǎn-sui said as he rose, just as Rinzen began sliding open the screen to the sitting room, "You trust Oh's judgment?"

Jiān nodded firmly. "I do."

"Then I must undertake a dangerous task if I am to protect your humans," he said, "I must learn to wield lightning."

"Ah, well, if that's what you have to do," Jiān said cheerfully, "Just ask Elder Yu to teach you – he is famous for being the only person in the valley who bends lightning!"

"… he _what_?" Yǎn-sui gaped.

* * *

**A/N:** Not a lot of action, but a helluva lot of exposition, and I hated having to break the modern-archaic switch pattern I've established. I hope I'm not bashing you all over the head on certain points, or that I am throwing things at you out of the blue (i.e., Uutu being Huí's son). I will say, however, at least three key plot points have been revealed in this chapter alone.

Reading over this, I think Rinzen might come across as a bit of a clueless person here, but really, all this stuff about gods and demons is coming down on him rather suddenly - Yǎn-sui's _**not**_ the type to divulge information willingly to a human, even one he is slowly learning to respect (or find useful, at least.) The next chapter goes back to narrative style, and I hope it is interesting for you.

If you hadn't guessed, the demon Marks on Jiān's face are _some_ of the same marks on the Painted lady's face when Katara met her. :3 Where and when and more importantly, _**why, **_the others will show up will be interesting.


	22. Narrative: Of the Master of Cold Fire

_**Tales of the Spirit Age: Fall of the Blue Spirit**_

Part XX: **Of the Master of Cold Fire

* * *

  
**

"... and thus forewarned by the fell spirit beast of the power of his foes, Yǎn-sui sought the wisdom of the River Sage, an exiled Prince of the Sun Warriors, whose true name has been lost through the passage of Time.

"In the name of his master, the sacred maiden of the river, he that was glorious Lord Agni's mightiest demon general knelt at the feet of the mortal sage, and bowed his head in supplication. 'Grant that you might find me worthy to bestow upon the teaching of glorious Lord Agni's divine lash, the cold fire,' spoke he.

"Replied the sage, that, 'Mastery of cold fire is no thing easily granted, nor easily grasped, for he who seeks it must be prepared to sacrifice himself in the endeavor. Is thy soul steeled to face Death, to rend soul from mortal vessel, shouldst thou fail?'

"Without hesitation, for he knew and cared only that he must succeed for the sake of his master, replied Yǎn-sui, 'I have prepared myself only to grasp the Fire that Pierces All; Death holds no terror for me, and He shall have no claim to me that will break my bond to my master.'

"Duly impressed with Yǎn-sui's avowal, the River Sage declared he would only assume a disciple who could pass those trials he placed before them to prove their worth.

"And thus the River Sage bid that Yǎn-sui undertake three tasks:

"As proof he possessed the necessary strength in body, that he would retrieve a scroll of teachings from the Valley of the Sun Warriors from its place within a shrine atop the highest cliff rising above the river valley.

"As proof he possessed the necessary skill and control of Fire, that he should do so while preserving a single slender flame the sage bestowed on him.

"This Yǎn-sui did.

"As proof of his mastery of the way of the Warriors of Fire, that he would demonstrate his most powerful form, that which only those whom the Dragons condescend to instruct can perform.

"This Yǎn-sui did as well.

"As proof of his wisdom concerning the working of Harmony and Discord and the Principles of Spirit-Substance, that he should answer a single question:

'Of what is the Nature of Fire and the other aspects of Spirit-Substance?'

"Thus did Yǎn-sui answer:

'Nature is infinite in form, and is thus Chaos and Order in one. Within the Nature of the aspect of Fire, it consumes and renews. Within the Nature of the aspect of Water, the opposition of Fire, it slakes and obliterates. Within the Nature of the aspect of Earth, that which opposes both and neither, it sustains and molders. Within the Nature of the aspect of Air, that which is free and cannot be defined by any, it fills and empties. But to meditate for a lifetime on the fundamental essence of Spirit-Substance, that is, all Existence and Void, we can only realize that our own limitations, the divisions that exist within all Beings, cannot be surmounted and thus the answer will elude us.'

"The River Sage marveled at this answer, and prevailed upon Yǎn-sui to explain the method of his conclusion.

"Yǎn-sui did reply, 'I conclude nothing, for I that exist returns to nothing. It would be arrogance and ignorance to assume one's conclusions are ever absolute for all things, all times, all beings. I have arrived at my Truth at this moment. It is possible this Truth may change.'

"The River Sage expressed admiration for Yǎn-sui's humility and professed he must be a priest or a monk of the Temple of the Sun. Yǎn-sui remained silent, for he cared not to affront the sage.

"Thus did Yǎn-sui's instruction in the art of the cold fire begin..."

* * *

**A/N: **In setting up some of the philosophy behind firebending, I took a slightly Daoist position on defining the Spirit World/Avatarverse. The concept of "Spirit-Substance" is related to the idea of "yin-yang," and is a discourse carried out in Confucian philosophical works.


	23. Of Wisdom and War

_**Tales of the Spirit Age: Fall of the Blue Spirit**_

Part XXI: **Of Wisdom and War

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**

KA-**BANG!** Yǎn-sui snorted in aggravation as the backfire hurled him feet over horns. The worn earth blurred overhead; he slammed his hand up, bringing his momentum under some semblance of control, then pushed off and landed in a slightly disordered crouch a good ten feet away.

_'This is becoming irritating,'_ he growled to himself, standing painfully as the splintered bones in his forearms healed, the skin concealed under Jiān's glamour cooling and smoothing away the blistered trails of aborted lightning. He grimaced, coughed, and spat blood, wondering if the damage was in his lungs or gut this time.

"Master Yǎn-sui!" Elder Yu hurried forward as quickly as his cane would allow, his old gold eyes wide in concern.

Yǎn-sui swiped his lips clean and turned toward the human. "I will try again," he said, struggling to keep his voice calm when he wished to do nothing more than roar in frustration (and perhaps smash a few rocks as well), "There must be something incorrect in my form or..."

Elder Yu thumped his cane on the ground, cutting Yǎn-sui off. "That is enough for now," he averred firmly, shaking his head, "Your concentration has been disturbed as it is and..." here the elder paused and scrutinized Yǎn-sui with a mixture of consternation and wariness, "it seems that lightning strikes back at you more violently than any other I have taught. It is a wonder your body has not been torn apart!"

_'Wonder enough,'_ Yǎn-sui replied silently, clenching his fist even as shards of agony lanced up his arms. He was recovering more slowly this time than from the preceding failures; his horns must be taxed to their limit to repair the damage. At least he had been spared the embarrassment of fainting in front of this human.

The old man sighed softly and rested his hand on Yǎn-sui's arm in what Yǎn-sui belatedly realized was meant to be a gesture of comfort or sympathy. "You must rest for a little while at least. Meditate. Regain your center, and you will try again." He gestured skyward. "Agni's eye has not yet reached its zenith. We firebender's are at our best when the sun claims the summit of the heavens, as you know; perhaps that will aid you in attaining the necessary balance."

The demon nodded silently, not voicing his skepticism regarding the elder's counsel. It was only natural Elder Yu would assume that the rhythm of the sun could influence him the same way it seemed to govern the ebb and flow of power in these humans called firebenders. However, Yǎn-sui could already feel his power building, toward the casual apex of disorder and violence that all demons of fire relied on for ultimate ferocity on the battlefield; to wit, at the zenith of the sun, his demonic nature reached its apogee as well. All sense of harmony or whatever agonizingly unattainable sense of Balance this human (and the Dragons whose wisdom had been imperfectly recorded in the scroll he now drew forth) relied on was effectively disintegrated until the sun began its descent. _'When I am at my strongest to serve my lord Agni, I am at my weakest to serve milady... and also least likely to master the one skill that has escaped my race since we first spawned.'_

Yǎn-sui heartily disliked poetic irony for many reasons, this being only the latest addition to a long list.

Elder Yu had, while his student brooded, taken a seat on the torn ground, tucking his legs crosswise underneath him, though the motion made his joints creak with enough noise to start Yǎn-sui out of his thoughts. He smiled ruefully up at Yǎn-sui and nodded at the somewhat less-disturbed patch of earth beside him. "Let us talk of other things," he offered.

Yǎn-sui reluctantly surrendered to good sense: any more attempts in the near future would likely result in severe injury or death, and this human still presented either a sizable obstacle or useful ally to be made for his master's cause. He lowered himself into a rather stiff, formal crouch and looked at Elder Yu expectantly.

For a long time, the old human said nothing, his eyes not on the precious scroll spread over his lap, but over the river below and opposing cliffs beyond. The cool shade cast by the cliff above them tinged Yǎn-sui's human skin blue and made the elder appear to be a statue carved of translucent yellow jade. A breeze wafted up from the river, reeking of water and decaying vegetation, stirring his hair so that it tickled the bare skin of his chest and back. The village of Lài-nang was just barely out of sight a ways downriver, still shrouded by lingering late morning mists which also clung, in tatters and wisps like the elder's beard, to the treetops staggering down from the wide outcropping upon which they sat, to extend fingers of budding branches to the placid grey-green face of Jiān's river. Birds and frogs, sent to panicked flight or into watery burrows by the violence of failed lightning, were gradually resuming their earlier noisy pursuits.

Elder Yu sighed, a tired and wistful exhalation. "I once thought attaining power to defeat one's enemies was the happiest and most worthy goal a man could pursue," he mentioned, as if continuing a conversation he and Yǎn-sui had only momentarily paused in.

The demon, somewhat more attuned to stray snatches of dialogues these humans seemed to engage in thanks to Rinzen's (and Jiān's) unsolicited instruction, posed the anticipated question: "What has replaced that goal?" he asked, sounding more bitter than he intended.

The old man glanced at Yǎn-sui, contemplative rather than censorious. "The power to protect what I hold most dear: the safety and happiness of my people."

"There's a difference between protecting someone and killing those who threaten them?" Yǎn-sui replied, irritation building. He forced it down, swallowed it, annoyed he allowed his temper to be so easily aroused by human trivialities. He would have expected spending time with Rinzen to have cured that.

"Perhaps, perhaps not," said Elder Yu in what struck Yǎn-sui as a maddeningly noncommittal tone, "Does the ideal change the method by which one pursues its attainment?"

Yǎn-sui ground his teeth, recognizing a test when he heard one. _ 'For milady... for Jiān... for her silly desire to save these annoying creatures who change the direction of their existence on a whim...'_ "How does one define the ideal to be attained in the first place?" he riposted, "Survival is something all creatures fight for, but what right do they have to _happiness_?"

By the way Elder Yu quirked his eyebrows and thin lips, Yǎn-sui hazarded his reply was a reasonably acceptable one. "You speak of "happiness" as though it is a foreign concept; might I ask why?"

He should have expected the return. "Not foreign," said Yǎn-sui, not entirely truthfully, "Simply within no one's power to grant or guarantee."

"You are probably right about that," the human admitted unexpectedly, "Perhaps it is better to say that I am anxious to secure the freedom of my people to seek their own happiness."

"'Freedom'?" Yǎn-sui only just managed not to snort in disbelief. "I fail to see how humans are ever free, even when they aren't born into slavery," he growled, taking abstraction as guise for his accusation, "You... Humans create conditions of slavery for themselves, in their fears, in their uncertainty. When the path is clear to take, you shy from it."

"But wouldn't you say that the clear and bounded path is another form of slavery?" Elder Yu queried serenely, "When I was a... when I was among the Sun Warriors, there were many who took seriously the idea that Fate controlled us, that it was the fate of some to rule, the fate of the rest to submit. Yet I, and others, saw we had the power to change the path ahead. Sometimes it meant we had to release our comfortable view and depart along an uncertain way, but it was our choice and the best of us built a new path... which led me here." Again, he seemed to slip away into meditation of the landscape, and Yǎn-sui had a suspicion he was continuing a conversation with voices long since silenced.

"Fate is the sanctuary of fools," Yǎn-sui spat, "But so is the belief that you can change a race or the role of that race; there will always be the weak, who feed the strong." He ignored Elder Yu's questioning glance, continuing passionately, "There will always be masters, there will always be slaves. And even if "the best" among you, be it one or a dozen, actually have the strength and awareness to unshackle yourself from your slavery, does it mean you are right to, or that you will not end up in another, worse condition?!"

_' "Our race is an abomination, a curse... better that we never breathed than been spawned without the will to disobey..." '_

Yǎn-sui snorted and dug his claws into his bare knees, silencing the voice as he cast a baleful eye at Tiào-fěi, sheathed and leaning against a naked boulder that formed a sort of shoulder or brief wall along the outer edge of the outcropping.

"Do you consider yourself a slave to the priestess?"

"What else can I be but...!" Yǎn-sui instinctively snapped, before stopping himself short, aware that Elder Yu seemed rather anxious with the vehemence of his tone. "I serve her as a matter of course," he said in a more calm voice, "What she asks of me, I do."

"Did she _ask_ you to master lightningbending?"

"No."

"Then why have you come here?" Elder Yu sounded more than merely curious or philosophical; his eyes had become hard, penetrating, and Yǎn-sui thought of the aged, merciless glare of the dragons. "Why risk your life?"

Yǎn-sui grit his fangs, hating that he had to submit himself to this inquisition. "What does it matter that I risk it?" he asked with cold civility, "Ask the Lady Jiān if..."

"I did ask," the elder interrupted, "I asked her when she and Rinzen brought you, unconscious, torn and bleeding into my household, only hours after my grand niece told me you rescued her from the clutches of two demons. I asked Lady Jiān what manner of man you were, and what could bring you to such self-sacrifice for people who are not your own.

"She told me that only you had the right to answer that question, and only if you chose to." Elder Yu paused, noting the stricken expression on Yǎn-sui's face. "Her answer surprises you?"

"... no," Yǎn-sui answered truthfully, "It does not." For some reason, he could hear her voice speaking those words, insistent that he _choose_, willfully pretending yet again that he was not her slave, that she was not his master, assuming that her fight was his, and resentment boiled up like bile from his torn bowels. "She saved my life. She is my master, and I am her slave, in her debt until I save your people," he rasped.

If his reply took the elder off guard, the old man did not show it, other than to ask, "Is that the only reason?" From his tone, Yǎn-sui wondered if the human expected there to be more than one answer.

_'Of course it is.'_ The affirmation died somewhere short of his tongue, stilled by the memory of moonlight and cords that were nowhere near the weight of the bonds that chained him, but ever so much more...

Elder Yu, perhaps sensing his conflicted thoughts, pressed, "Is some meager debt your only reason for...?"

"Someone is coming." Yǎn-sui stood up abruptly, noisily, ignoring the protestations of his still-healing body, glad for the interruption, even if it was only that human woman and the brat whose lives he had chanced to save. _'It would be unlikely for Punga or Anu to attack so near to noon, or permit their comrades to do so,'_ he thought sourly as he strode over to Tiào-fěi for the simple reason of having something else to do than wait awkwardly for Lien and Xing to make their appearance. He was in no way inclined to dwell any longer on idle conversation, either. He turned his attention to the _important_ matter at hand. _'I am close, I can __**feel**__ the power in me... but...'_

Lightning was called "cold fire" for a reason, and his temper was getting the better of him, spurred as much by the elder's pointless reminiscing as the ascendant sun.

_' "Is it so very pointless, whelp, or are you trying to run away from something that challenges your comfortable view of the world?" '_

Yǎn-sui snarled and slung the sword belt over his shoulder, Tiào-fěi rattling in its sheathe. "Hardly _comfortable_, not compared to cactus-juice dreams being peddled by...!"

"Master Yǎn-sui, you're bleeding." He had heard and smelt her before she drew up beside him, of course, but he could not help but start suddenly when a bit of clean ragged cloth was pressed into his hand.

"Your nose," Lien explained, touching the space just above her own lips as she looked up at him with cool, critical amber eyes (which rather reminded him of Oh's, uncomfortably enough), "The elder says it is because the lightning strikes back at you harshly."

"Hn." Yǎn-sui patted his face perfunctorily, and tucked the scrap into the waistband of his borrowed pants. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," she murmured, turning away to join Elder Yu and the boy, Xing, who was carrying a cloth-wrapped box of some sort. She was concealing her hair beneath the white scarf again, a sign (according to Rinzen) that she was in mourning for her husband and daughter. _ 'She was not wearing it yesterday when she ran into us,'_ he remembered, _'When one is certain that vengeance is within reach, perhaps a sign of mourning is needless?'_

"Xing, thank you for carrying the lunch-box," she said in a voice pitched to be heard by Yǎn-sui, "Now, wasn't there something else you needed to do?"

Xing grit his teeth, the knuckles of the hand fisting about the knot securing the cloth blanching. "I..." His eyes flickered toward Lien, resentfully, then settled on Yǎn-sui, flashing barely-contained anger. He bowed abruptly. "Master Yǎn-sui, please forgive my rudeness last night," he said, words spat out so quickly they ran together, "It's not my place to..."

"Apology not accepted," Yǎn-sui interrupted.

Xing pulled up slightly, his yellow eyes wide with surprise quickly sliding into offended anger. Lien looked back at him in bewilderment, but for some reason, Elder Yu seemed simply interested by the proceedings. "I don't..." Xing began, straightening further and glaring, "Are you making fun of me?"

"No." Yǎn-sui paced toward the boy, looming over him so that the child actually leaned back to meet his eyes. He was not in the least bit afraid, merely confused, pride piqued by Yǎn-sui's slight. "You're not sorry for what you said, because you believe you were right to question my ability as a warrior. Apologies without sincerity are refuse."

Xing clenched his jaw and let the cloth-wrapped box drop with a clatter. "I _was_ right!" he declared, raising his hands in what Yǎn-sui recognized as a firebending form as he stepped back into a stance, "If Lady Jiān says you're here to kill the demons, then you should do it! Why are you wasting time out here when you should be hunting them down and reclaiming your honor?!"

"Xing, I thought we talked about thi...!" Lien began sternly.

"I could say the same to you," Yǎn-sui returned, sneering at the boy, "Why are you still huddling in the village? If you were so determined to avenge your kinfolk that you left yesterday in one frail boat to join the fight, why are you still here? Did your courage flee when you saw your enemy face-to-face?"

Xing's eyes went wide. "You son of a...!" With a yell, he punched out his right fist, throwing a sizable ball of fire nearly point-blank into Yǎn-sui's torso.

Or, at least he intended to.

Yǎn-sui, already behind Xing, swept his feet out from under him and grabbed the scruff of his neck before he could fall on his face. Lifting the shocked child into the air despite the fact even his slight weight made his arm throb dully, Yǎn-sui looked Xing straight in the eye. "Your anger is misdirected," he said quietly, "As you can see, you alone are weak, defenseless. If you cannot defeat me, an ally, then you must realize further action without preparation will only lead to your death if you should face them now." He deposited Xing on the ground, not ungently, the child gaping at him in confusion. "I also was not prepared to meet my enemies, but I will be." Yǎn-sui almost reached for the band around his right arm. "I have my own reasons to take their heads."

"Ah."

Yǎn-sui started slightly, then glanced at Elder Yu, who was smiling beatifically. "Yes, Xing, as bitter as it might be, Master Yǎn-sui speaks the truth. He is a true warrior and a wise man, and his words should be heeded." He chuckled, nodding his head as he approached Yǎn-sui and handed him the scroll containing the secrets of lightningbending. "Come, we should leave him to his meditation," he announced cheerfully. Without further ado, he began striding away at an impressive pace, his cane thumping determinedly against the ground.

Xing stared after him, his mouth working at some incoherent argument. He glanced at Yǎn-sui, flushed darkly and took off after the old man like a startled rabbit.

Yǎn-sui stared as well; apparently, Jiān was not the only denizen of the valley to change mind and temperament as easily as a leaf turns in a breeze.

"You are quite a mystery, Master Yǎn-sui." Lien sounded slightly irritated as she looked up at him, eyes narrowed and intense with her scrutiny. "I don't know if you were trying to teach him or were merely being cruel, but you probably just did more to set his mind to ease than anything I or the elder or anyone else has told him these past days since his family was murdered."

"He has the right mind to seek vengeance, but he lacks the strength," the demon replied simply, "I have had to deal with whelps like him before."

She smirked coolly, and exhaled a low laugh. "Did those 'whelps' ever come back at you after such a lesson?" she asked, her voice husky and soothing, like the purr of a pygmy panther after a meal.

"The best ones did, but only after they took care of what mattered," said Yǎn-sui, smirking as well and pointing after Xing with the scroll, "I will welcome his reply, when he earns the right to do so."

"And me? I just might want to have you answer for your failure as he did. Perhaps I lack faith in the priestess and the goddess she serves," she continued conversationally, but Yǎn-sui sensed the excitement of fight building in her, her fire heightening her scent. Hers was not sickly fear, but heated blood and acrid rage and rich femininity, so very different from the other humans. Fighting against human males had thus far proved deeply disappointing. But a match against her...?

He sidled away from Lien, aware that his eagerness to fight was likely a response to the sun as well as his earlier frustration. "I would enjoy the opportunity to satisfy your demand, but I don't enter contests when I'm at so obvious a disadvantage."

She frowned darkly. "You seem to enjoy mocking others," she noted, placing her hands on her hips, facing him boldly. "Because I am a woman? A widow in mourning? With child?" "For all those reasons, yes," he replied, "You have everything to prove to yourself by fighting me, while I … do not."

Other than a sharply indrawn breath and a sudden pallor to her dusky face, Yǎn-sui had no warning. She did not even bother with fire, but charged, springing lightly from the earth like a dragon-fly, her foot slamming into his chest, knocking him slightly off-balance. As soon as she landed, she whirled, arcing fire with the leg she swept across his ankle. Yǎn-sui let himself fall, tucking his arm and shoulder in, accelerating his legs over his head and springing upright out of the tumble more quickly than Lien anticipated, catching her follow-up punch in his free hand and smoothly bending it up and around behind her back, the flames she wielded dissipating as mere irritants. Before she could think to kick free, he entangled one leg between hers and wrapped his arm around her waist, effectively trapping her other arm at her side and caging her against his body.

As he did so, he could feel the slight rounding of her stomach concealed by her loose tunic, and the movement of the small life within.

"If I release you, will you let me leave the field peacefully?" he asked, trying to ignore the excited pounding of his heart. Sparring was one of his few pleasures, but he doubted he currently possessed the frame of mind to do so safely with a human, frail as they were. Jiān, even at her weakest that night at the headwater, still radiated strength from her form that made this soft human woman all the more like a wounded sparrow in the palm of his hand by comparison, easily crushed. His bond to the goddess would likely prevent him from wreaking any serious (or rather, permanent) damage, but it was not a limit he cared to test.

Lien breathed hoarsely, her heart pounding hard enough for him to feel it through her back, pressed against his bare arm and torso. "You know, if you weren't so tall, I'd try breaking your nose to get free," she commented, tilting her head back to look up at him, wry humor and abashed resentment warring for dominance on her face.

"Hm, well, if you can breathe fire, that would work much more effectively, no matter how tall I am," he pointed out, grinning.

Lien chuckled, considering. "I was working on mastering that, in order to begin my lighteningbending training, but my husband was worried it might affect the baby, so..." Suddenly, she froze, her mouth slightly open and slight flush of rose staining her cheeks.

"Are you feeling ill?" he asked quickly, feeling her shudder as if in response.

"Let me go," she said tonelessly, her eyes suddenly flat and empty. The change disconcerted him. One moment, Lien's chi was flaring joyfully with the fire of combat, the next it had all but disappeared, coiling in on itself like a serpent retreating into its lair. He hesitated, but did as she asked, backing away warily. Lien cradled the arm he had held behind her back, miming pain although Yǎn-sui could neither smell nor sense any injury in her.

"You've made your point," she said softly, not looking at him, "I was wrong to demand a test. The elder and Xing are likely wondering what has become of me. It would be inappropriate for me to be seen with you like this."

Yǎn-sui did not quite understand, but given the chance to consider what had just happened, how very close he had come to raising a hand against a female with child, he agreed with her. "Yes. My apologies as well. I..." He fumbled for words that would not come, not when she radiated conflicting emotions of shame, anger and a few others he could not even begin to decipher. "I will return the scroll to the shrine. My regards to the elder." He bowed stiffly to her and turned away.

"I will. Please enjoy the meal I prepared for you."

Yǎn-sui exhaled deeply in relief once all noise and smell of her receded from the area and gripped his temples with a hand across his eyes. _ 'Bending lightning and crossing fire with a female... with a __**pregnant**__ female in the space of an hour!'_ He snorted. _'Did I hit my head harder than I thought?'_

Of course, it was impossible that Lien could respond in the manner of a female demon in the same condition; all the same, Yǎn-sui shivered at the thought, wondering just when he had taken leave of his senses. His quest for lightning would have to wait, as he was in no condition to continue. Yǎn-sui looked from the scroll in his hand up to the clifftop high above him, where the small shrine that was its resting place stood. He had memorized its contents in the space of several minutes, as much good as that had accomplished; an opportunity to exercise away the confusion and frustration of the morning was what he needed.

Scrabbling tenuously up a near-sheer cliff face seemed the perfect remedy.

* * *

The sun was high in the sky, beating heat down upon him as Yǎn-sui clambered over the lip of the cliff. The climb had been a disappointingly effortless undertaking; he stood straight and looked ruefully across the river, to the cliffs opposite, easily sighting where he had battled Kujira and beheld the specter of Huí's violated remains. What wounds the lighting wrought had healed completely even as he climbed, the difference of having whole horns telling acutely.

_'Huí, give me one more day. One more day of faith in me,'_, he thought, turning toward the shrine, which lay about a quarter mile as the hawk flies from where he stood, sheltered within a grove of smooth-skinned paper-bark trees.

The stone monument, dedicated to Huánglóng, was nearly size of Jiān's shrine and in much the same design, save that it was built directly on the ground and had been far more elaborate appointed in its decorations. Gold embellishments like vines of flame traced its eaves and the sinuous form of the yellow-scaled dragon god framing the alcove where Yǎn-sui's offering of fire still flickered in the bronze brazier worked with designs of the sun disc of Agni's divine eye. Above this brazier, recessed into the bare wall that substituted for the paper screens of the river goddess's shrine, a dark square of empty space no larger than Yǎn-sui's hand but many times deeper gaped open. Elder Yu had told Yǎn-sui that if his offering of fire pleased the son of divine Agni, the scroll would be revealed, but Yǎn-sui suspected that the brazier was simply a trigger for the trapdoor that secreted the scroll away; only a fire of the proper size and heat would release the mechanism that held the door in place. The door itself had been a plain stone, looking for all the world like the others from which the wall had been constructed, without outer hinge or seam to betray its difference from the rest.

Yǎn-sui briefly wondered if Huánglóng had generously imparted the details of such a device to the humans, or if they had worked it out on their own with the ingenuity he had witnessed from the likes of Rinzen. He had certainly bestowed some relic, perhaps a fang or claw, on them; Yǎn-sui could sense the vague presence of Huánglóng's form within the sealed walls. Likely, there was another secret door that could be accessed by an offering of ceremonial fire, for humans were known to worship the leavings of gods with "sacred" festivals of frenzied celebration fixed to calendars dictated by Agni's eye, where such relics were brought into the light of day for all to see. It was quite possible Jiān was also "honored" in such a way.

It was all rather quaint and silly, but then, they were only humans.

Shrugging, he slid the scroll back into its resting place and claimed the fire from the brazier. Several seconds later, the trapdoor, which had shot up into a compartment built into the stone above, slid down with a grating whisper, and the wall was once again blank and unremarkable. Bowing respectfully to the image of Huánglóng, whom he liked and respected, Yǎn-sui ambled somewhat aimlessly around the cleared forecourt of the shrine, staring up at the white sunlight glancing down through the broad-leafed dark green canopy. His blood warmed and buzzed in his ears, making his already tumultuous thoughts clash and whirl about his head. Was lightning a true taboo, forever beyond the ken of his race to grasp? Did he flirt with blasphemy as he tried to win it? Was Jiān's, and Huí's, faith in him misplaced? Was he, after all, an inadequate tool to the task Jiān had bound him to?

Unbidden, faces of the humans for whose sake Jiān had bound him flitted before his eyes: Rinzen, unaccountably intelligent and insufferable in his too insightful questions; Xing, a whelp with as much ferocious pride as any of his younger soldiers; Elder Yu, trying and profound, a deceptively frail-looking human who nonetheless had unleashed the divine lash of glorious Agni's cold fire before his astonished eyes. Lien, unpredictable and dangerous after the fashion of females, fascinating. Others, each a different faucet of a race he could no longer discount as an anonymous mass, blind and stupid and fearful. He suspected he was very slowly beginning to understand Jiān's passionate desire to protect them, if only out of a unique brand of curiosity and a desire to find something by which she could define herself.

For that was why she, a lone goddess in the midst of a lonely sea with no other companions but lower creatures, was so determined to ward away intruders who would cruelly steal them from her, was it not? Yǎn-sui closed his eyes, remembering the emotions that wracked her small body as she described the aftermath of Ran's suicide; as much as it had caused her pain, he sensed she embraced the knowledge it gave her, providing her yet another touchstone of awareness of her place in the world, as a healer, as a goddess, as a living being. Free as the river waters and the seas and the rain, she sought strictures of another race in order to know who she was, adapting as her small world, peopled by short-lived and chaotic humans, flowed and melded about her in the manner of her element. She asked, never demanded, seeking agreement as a gentle submission.

He paused. Was her seeming kindness merely another form of slavery after all, albeit softer and more mystifying? At the same time... was it not a slavery, if he had had a choice all those years ago, he would have _chosen_, if it meant...

"Do you think that just because you didn't finish with Punga that you had no obligation to finish our own duel, or have you really fallen so far into that goddess's thrall that you don't pay attention to the enemy right in front of you?"

Tiào-fěi sang from its sheathe as Yǎn-sui whirled to face Uutu, the younger demon crouched like a baleful gargoyle on the cinnabar-lacquered roof of the shrine. He carried his great sword over his right shoulder, balancing precariously on the balls of his feet on the spine of the pitched roof, idly tossing the iron sphere of one of his bombs up and catching it with his left paw. He still wore his torn uniform tunic, the white cloth stained various shades of dark brown-red from the wound Yǎn-sui had gored into his side. His mane, loosed of its topknot, was in disarray, and Yǎn-sui sensed a desperate wildness about him that had not been there before.

"Do you intend to permit others to interfere?" he asked in response, casting his awareness about them, seeking the inevitable presence of the ice demon, "If so, I have no reason to dignify your demands, not when your superiors are so determined to keep you on a short leash."

"I am on no one's leash, least of all Punga's!" Uutu leapt down from the shrine and drew himself upright with a growl, brandishing his pudao, already limned with eager tongues of red-gold flame. "I am free to do what I will, and I will take those horns from your corpse today, traitor!"

Yǎn-sui shook his head, coolly dismissive, which only infuriated the younger demon all the more. "I ask again, renegade, what reason do you have to call me "traitor"? What rightful claim do you have to your sire's horns, when he was _my_ comrade and saved _my_ life?"

Uutu's mane bristled even as his garnet eyes nearly started from his head in amazement. "Who told you he was my father?!" he demanded, then immediately spat, "You have no right to call him "comrade," when it was _your_ fault he was killed, black-mane! His horns belong to me!"

"I have ears that can hear, and I chose to listen to him," snarled Yǎn-sui, his blood rushing in his ears, now out of eagerness to claw out the impudent whelp's tongue. He was sorely tempted to dispatch the young idiot to the Abyss and have done with it, but he had made a promise to Hui. _'Only if some fool of a human intervenes do I have to worry about my bonds to Jiān, and the whelp is of use to her as well,'_ he justified, forcing himself to think calmly about this intensely personal battle. _'We both benefit from Agni's ascent, but the one who carries the battle has the cooler head.'_ "Yes, it was because I failed to see a trap that had been set for me that Huí was so shamefully slaughtered, but at least I didn't tear his horns from his skull and leave his remains to be violated by my keepers!"

"_**DIE, SCUM!**_" Uutu screamed, flinging the bomb at Yǎn-sui's face. Yǎn-sui managed to dodge the bomb as it exploded, ten, twenty times stronger than any of Uutu's previous barrages. Trees turned to cinders and he was thrown sidelong deeper into the forest, limbs banging painfully through the trunks of several saplings before he managed tuck and roll into a controlled fall, which brought him up against the base of a sturdy old giant. The instant his feet touched the worn bark, he leapt straight forward, catching Uutu's descending pudao between the crossed blades of Tiào-fěi. His weight threw the younger demon backward and he pressed his attack, slicing down with one flaming blade than the other in a whirling succession of circular strikes like the dervish winds of a desert cyclone.

Uutu scrambled backward, attempting to gain enough room to swing his much larger weapon, but the close quarters of the forest prevented him from anything more than the most frantic defense from the fiery hail of blows Yǎn-sui delivered. They broke into the clearing of the shrine and Uutu sprang away, swinging his pudao in a wide arc across his body, endeavoring to cut Yǎn-sui in half while the advantage of reach was still his.

"Fight me as though you want to win, renegade!" Yǎn-sui howled at him, leaping straight into the air, clearing the wildly swung blade. He spat fire down at Uutu, who brought the blade up to ward against the intense blue-white flames. The stream blossomed into a maelstrom of fire, devouring trees and melting the earth. Yǎn-sui landed on the flat of the pudao, crushing Uutu to the ground, hearing and smelling skin sear and hair scorch through the hot metal.

Uutu shoved against his weapon and Yǎn-sui leapt back as the younger regained his footing, snarling with pain and rage that his eyes literally glowed with. He did not immediately charge full-tilt as expected, but regarded Yǎn-sui across the cleared space with suspicion, obviously trying to size him up. The slightly befuddled expression on his face reminded Yǎn-sui again of a hundred such sparring matches, both casual and deadly serious, he had waged against the younger demon's sire.

"Answer me another question, whelp," he said, not relaxing his stance, "The earth spirit spoke of five of your number. Who is the last blackguard who has not the honor to face me?"

Uutu bared his fangs mockingly. "You'll find out soon enough, just before your horns are ripped from your head!"

"Is that so?" He tapped side of Uutu's neck with the flat of his blade, having closed the distance between them as Uutu boasted. "Yield, Uutu, you are outmatched."

"NO!" Uutu swung at him, but Yǎn-sui parried, forcing the pudao's tip into the ground and kicked Uutu in the stomach, slamming him backward.

Uutu collided with the face of the shrine behind him, stumbling over the low palisade and losing in his balance. Yǎn-sui was upon him in an instant, thrusting both white-hot blades of Tiào-fěi through his shoulders up to the hilts, pinning him to the stone wall. Uutu roared in pain and dropped his weapon, but before he could try to tear out the dao sunk into his body or reach for his bombs, Yǎn-sui clamped one hand around his throat, fingers almost but not quite digging into the all-important blood vessels on either side of his neck. Uutu's breath hissed in his windpipe, his eyes bugging as he struggled for air.

"If you had not violated Huí's body, I might have accepted you calling me "traitor," for I betrayed his trust in me as much as we both were betrayed by Pi lì," he growled, ignoring Uutu's fruitless flailing as Tiào-fěi continued to char his skin, bone, and muscle. Yǎn-sui hefted the pudao, which he had caught as it fell. "But you took his horns. You stripped him of his horns and yet did not heed his voice."

"What are you talking about?" Uutu demanded, his eyes rolling in his head as he struggled to retain consciousness, to pull free, to carry on the fight. "My father is dead! I could only honor him by keeping his horns, until the day I killed _you_! He was loyal to you to death, and you betray him by serving a goddess of water!

"You are the Blue Spirit, first among the host of Fire, the most feared demon in the world! How could you bend your horns to a daughter of Tui?!"

"Fool," Yǎn-sui spat, "Do you believe I abandoned Huí, or Agni, to serve Jiān? She saved my life, and for my debt, I...!" Noticing Uutu's wide-eyed, uncomprehending stare, he swore at himself. "Listen to me, whelp!" he snarled, "Your keepers have lied to you; did you ever think to question what they told you, you who claim to be free of the slavery that chains us to the gods? Did you ever _think for yourself_ and seek to understand? Did you listen?"

Uutu tried clawing at Yǎn-sui's exposed stomach with his feet, earning him a hard shake and a blow to the solar plexus with the pommel of the pudao. "If you can't listen to me," Yǎn-sui continued as Uutu's eyes slid closed, "I swear that you will listen to your sire, whom you claim to honor. Listen to him, and decide for yourself which battle you should be fighting!" With a grunt of disgust, he threw the pudao aside and ripped Tiào-fěi from Uutu's unconscious body, letting him slump to the ground in an undignified, smoking heap. _'Huí, it is a change of plans, but one I think you can make the most of,'_ he thought, untying the band from his arm. He studied Uutu momentarily, then tied the leather thongs about his dragon-hide munitions belt. The whelp would find it when he woke up.

"At least, he had better."

A gale burst into the clearing, extinguishing the flames as though they were candles blown out by a single breath; tree branches screeched and clattered above the roar and the some roof tiles of the shrine cracked and flew away. Yǎn-sui held his ground as Anu dropped lightly to earth, his wings scraping up clouds of ash and leaves as he folded them somewhat awkwardly behind his shoulders.

The wind-demon gave him a passing glance, his sky-blue eyes fixating almost immediately on Uutu's crumpled form. "You did not kill him, black-mane," he noted, "I knew you were a cur without honor, but I had heard of him speak well of your... magnanimity. Yet another of his misplaced hopes in you."

"He swallowed your lies thoughtlessly," Yǎn-sui bridled.

Anu looked at him then, his expression blank. "Did you expect him to be able to think for himself? That is what our slavery to the gods has done to us, black-mane, a slavery _you_ seem to revel in."

"Our race was created to serve the gods, Anu; it is the unfortunate among who are aware of the possibility of freedom, and the foolhardy who dream to take it."

"As you did?"

Yǎn-sui froze, an eerie prickle skittering coldly up his spine. _ 'How can he suspect, he can't possibly...!'_

Anu bared his fangs, his eyes hard. "You dreamed and perhaps, in spite of your rhetoric, you still do." He looked again at Uutu and his expression changed, for a fleeting moment, to one of despair. "That one did not know the dream. He was one of your "fortunate" ones, those who sought fulfillment solely on the battlefield of gods against others of his own race." He shifted toward the shrine, sneering at the graven image of Huánglóng. "But his master betrayed him.

"You are the Blue Spirit – I do not doubt you know what sort of god Qiú niú was."

Yǎn-sui remained silent, but Anu apparently took this as assent.

"Qiú niú fled to the Duǎn Mìng Marshes when his elder brother Wǔ-rén discovered that he had plotted to usurp his place as warlord and General of the Southern White Army. Perhaps he thought to regain his honor by defeating the queen of those dead lands or sought to gain her allegiance; as it was, Hú-li-jīng did not take kindly to the intrusion.

"His legion of demons fought bravely and in vain. When it was clear even to him that he stood no chance, Qiú niú ordered the last of his slaves to attack Hú-li-jīng herself while he made his escape."

Yǎn-sui could not suppress the growl that rumbled in his chest, clearly seeing in his mind's eye how the battle would have played out. Hú-li-jīng was as merciless as a female demon in heat; she needed no demon armies to fight for her, and her foul, stinking children were the ghoulish spirits of poisonous marsh vapors and twisted creatures of the bog and muck.

"Only one survived that last onslaught, and only because he had been forced to the rear rank by his commander. But wounded as he was, such survival was a bitter, agonizing torment that even we of the Abyss would shrink from it."

It seemed as though a pall of chill air wafted over the clearing; he saw Anu shiver, his head bowing as if in grief. "To the very last, he only begged me to tell him that he had defeated Hú-li-jīng, that his master had escaped safely," he growled softly, the very air trembling with his wrath. Yǎn-sui drew Tiào-fěi, more than willing to fight as winds whirled and screamed about them, Anu the eye of the storm. The wind demon held his paws out, palms up, a gesture of supplication had his eyes had not burned with rage and hate deeper than Yǎn-sui had ever seen. He ignored Yǎn-sui's provocation, his voice ringing with the leaden, sure tones of a righteous judge and executioner. "I slew his master, that undeserving coward Qiú niú, with these claws, ripped him apart as he screamed and gibbered and wept for mercy. A god! Pah! That my brothers throw their lives away at the mere word of such a wretched being! At least his carcass proved useful in saving that last one!"

_'Jiān was right!'_ A sudden blow to the head would not have produced less of an effect upon Yǎn-sui, who gaped at Anu, momentarily stunned. _'Uutu, Hau… spoke truthfully! These demons, __**somehow**__… freed themselves by…!' _

The winds died as Anu straightened, his face a stoic mask, his gaze once more drawn to Uutu. "If there was any reason I should fight you, black-mane, it would be for this." Without warning, he blasted a hole through the center of Huánglóng's shrine with a vortex of air casually tossed with one hand. Yǎn-sui sliced through a portion of roof that hurtled toward his head, only to be sent flying by blow from Anu's right wing.

"You are a traitor, black-mane," Anu declared flatly, looking down at him as he scrambled to his feet. He held Uutu in his arms, propping the younger demon's head protectively against his bicep. He had also retrieved Uutu's pudao, its blade warped from absorbing the heat of Yǎn-sui's fire-breath. He lofted into the air as Yǎn-sui dove at him in desperation, still speaking, "You insist on serving the gods, on hunting down those who have torn their freedom from their grasping hands, killing us in their name, when it should have been _you_ who killed _them_.

"You, who murdered your sire, the God-stealer, Zhāng-nán!"

* * *

**A/N: **One of the reasons I love writing my "villainous" demons is because each of them presents a facet of Yǎn-sui, although the parallel might not be so ovbious. In Anu's case, as I said, Yǎn-sui is confronted with an older "self" possibility. What Anu knows and does has quite far-reaching affects on Yǎn-sui in chapters ahead...


	24. Interlude IV: Of Qiú niú in the Marshes

_**Tales of the Spirit Age: Fall of the Blue Spirit**_

Part XXII: **Interlude IV: Of Qiú niú** **in the Cursed Marshes

* * *

  
**

"… and in that time, the god Qiú niú came under the suspicions of his elder brother and warlord Wǔ-rén, for having aspirations to command the Southern White Army. This though his elder brother, its General, was rightly praised as a skillful and implacable warlord, who would broach no question to his leadership and who had defeated all those who had tried to take his high place in the Heavenly Court from him. And so Qiú niú prevailed upon another of his brothers, the cunning Pi lì, whom he knew to have little love for Wǔ-rén.

"Cunning Pi lì nevertheless hesitated to strike against Wǔ-rén, for he had won many battles and thus lacked not for allies and admirers among the Court.

"But Qiú niú reminded his brother of the many slights and insults he had received from Wǔ-rén, who had mocked his lacking in the skills of feats of arms.

"'It was he who was the first to laugh at your defeat at the hands of the Blue Spirit," Qiú niú hissed, "It was he who disparaged you before our glorious father when you spoke of conserving our armies and strengthening the lands we have won. If you should aid me, I will ensure that you are raised alongside me when I am made General."

"But such was the cunning of Pi lì that he saw in his brother Qiú niú a dangerous weakness of spirit that would never hope to overwhelm Wǔ-rén. Discerning the path of self preservation, he relayed to Wǔ-rén the plots Qiú niú hoped to weave.

"Without delay, Wǔ-rén sent to have Qiú niú brought before him to answer charges of usurpation and mutiny. Knowing that he was summoned to face Death, Qiú niú instead took flight with a complement of his soldiers, traversing westward as the dragon flies over the immense Wastes of Sand until he came upon the Cursed Marshes, where the witch goddess Hú-li-jīng holds court over the slime and muck that brings forth visions of ghosts and dark spirits.

"… there in that dark place, Qiú niú sought to change the loyalty of Hú-li-jīng to his cause. But the Witch Queen of the Marsh would swear fealty to none, not even her sire, Tui, the fell Lord of the Seas. She turned upon the god and condemned him to the Darkness, bidding her foul offspring to consume even the marrow of his bones.

"… Qiú niú fought with desperation, yielding only inch by excruciating inch, the Fire of his sword only just able to keep the ghouls at bay as Agni and La each thrice ascended and descended the Heavens.

"As La's blinded lantern rose on the night of the third day, Qiú niú's foes faltered and he thought he was at last able to break free.

"But it was a vain hope, for Death borne upon wings of the fatal wind claimed him there…"

* * *

**A/N: **And you thought YOUR sibling rivalry was bad! :3

P.S. - Anu didn't very much like the fact that his role was reduced to a single line of cliched metaphor. It lowered his already basement-level opinion of humans in general.


	25. Of Negotiation and Doubt

_**Tales of the Spirit Age: Fall of the Blue Spirit**_

Part XXIII: **Of Negotiation and Doubt

* * *

  
**

Lhamu dipped her snout into the river and exhaled a sharp blast of air. Children, either clinging to her broad shoulders and back like lemurs or sculling about her like pond-beetles, shrieked with laughter as the water and mist arced impressively high into the air.

The sky-bison chuckled and began rolling over to cool off her back as the afternoon sun blazed down.

"Eek!"

"Ack! Lhamu!"

"Stop, you're going to squish us!"

"Rinzen, help!"

Rinzen poked his head up out of the boat he lounged in and waved off-handedly. "She's just playing with you guys, there's no way Lhamu'd actually…"

*BLOOSH!*

"Well… I sit corrected," the airbender observed as small heads popped up out of the water one after the other like singing gophers from their burrows after the cat-owl has passed.

One of the older boys immediately clambered up on top of Lhamu's leathery stomach and began tickling her under the chin in revenge. The sky-bison "hrrrrmmm"-ed and flailed lethargically, cascading water on the others, who yelped and swam out of range.

Rinzen chuckled and lay back down in the boat, a coracle he had borrowed from one of the village fisherman. The small craft bobbed and twitched on the placid current, anchored in place upriver from the raucous covey of youngsters who were Lhamu's playmates. He had been at work since before dawn, composing letters to be sent out to the various villages, enlisting the aid of any boat that could be had for the evacuation of the Upper River to the island below Jiāng Hui, among other things.

It rankled him slightly that Yǎn-sui had already done a bunk with Elder Yu, thus depriving Rinzen of the opportunity to rub his early morning productivity in the demon's disparaging face. But then, he was an airbender, not given to caring for other's opinions. Much.

As an airbender, Rinzen was pragmatic in his optimism. Although Elder Yu had made no official announcements regarding his support of Yǎn-sui's plan, Rinzen did not doubt his evaluation of the elderly village leader (and of Yǎn-sui's ability to impress, no matter his lacking in a sense of humor), and thus felt comfortably certain his preparations were well worth the effort. Rinzen smirked to himself and let his eyes slide closed…

… only to jerk upright, nearly capsizing his boat as Yǎn-sui strode past, coated with ash and smeared with blood, trailing smoke and dust in his wake. "Hey!"

Yǎn-sui started, stopped and stared at Rinzen in confusion, as though the airbender was a complete stranger.

"What happened this time?" Rinzen asked, the coracle pitching warningly as he attempted to stand. His eyes skimmed over Yǎn-sui to find where the demon was wounded, then narrowed. "Why are your friend's horns missing?" he demanded, pointing at Yǎn-sui's conspicuously bare bicep. While the leathern band was absent, there were two things that had been added, both held in Yǎn-sui's left hand: a scroll capped by green jade covers and what looked to be an old shark tooth as long as Rinzen's forearm. "And what are those?"

"Uutu. Anu. The shrine has been destroyed," Yǎn-sui rattled off in clipped tones, "I must find Jiān, and begin the evacuation of the humans immediately. Your other questions are irrelevant." He turned away, no doubt intending to stalk off toward the village, then seemed to think the better of it.

"Wait, what...?!" Rinzen sputtered as Yǎn-sui suddenly loomed over him. "Hey, what ar… don'teventhinkabou-OOF!"

"Stop flailing, or I will carry you by the top of your skull," Yǎn-sui informed him, clapping a hand on the small of Rinzen's back to steady the irate airbender on his shoulder.

"You don't have to carry me at all, dammit!" Rinzen blared as Yǎn-sui strode off over the water, "I'm not a sack of yams!"

Lhamu, alerted by Rinzen's yelping, immediately righted herself and half-swam, half-glided to block Yǎn-sui's path, deep gruff rumblings of warning thrumming across the water. The children swam after her en-masse, a chorus of confused and anxious calls flitting over the water ahead of the pack.

Yǎn-sui halted and bowed slightly as Lhamu pulled up to him, her posture radiating wary aggression. "Lhamu, please return the human spawn to the village immediately," he directed with curt politeness, "Circumstances require that we move swiftly, without alarm."

The sky-bison raised her wide flat tail out of the water and glared balefully.

"Lhamu, I'm okay – he didn't squish me or anything," Rinzen assured her, nearly spraining his neck craning it around to look at his friend, "If Yǎn-sui's loincloth is in a bunch, it's likely for a good reason."

Lhamu emitted a dubious snort, but nevertheless lowered her tail. By this time, the children had caught up with the trio, enveloping them in a noisy maelstrom of breathlessly shouted questions:

"What's going on?"

"Why'd you swim off, Lhamu?"

"Why's Master Yǎn-sui carrying Rinzen like a sack of yams?"

"Why are you so angry, Lhamu?"

"Is playtime over?"

"Are you going to leave that boat there, Rinzen?"

"Can I ride Lhamu now?"

"Is it lunchtime? Can we eat out here?"

"Hey, where're you going?!"

"Guys, just get on Lhamu's back, she'll take you back to the village!" Rinzen called back to them as Yǎn-sui loped away, "Everything's all right!" He paused. "Everything's _not_ all right, is it."

"Admirable deduction," Yǎn-sui muttered, "Keep your jaws together until I find Jiān, otherwise you will likely send these humans into a panic."

"Fine, but you know, you're likely to make people comment if – YEE!" Rinzen nearly bit his tongue as Yǎn-sui lofted into the air without warning, landing solidly on Lài-nang's outermost dock, startling a father and son who were unloading their daily catch from their boat.

It was immediately apparent Yǎn-sui's swift return had been anticipated, if not its particular manner.

"Master Yǎn-sui, the lady priestess is attending to the newest arrivals in the sick-house, and asked to see you as soon as you returned," Lien greeted him with a slight bow. She paused, glancing bemusedly at the airbender slung over Yǎn-sui's shoulder. Rinzen hung limp, wishing desperately that the dock would collapse or that a rock would fall from the sky and crush him and the thrice-damned manhandling demon would be dragged back to the Abyss by his toenails. "I believe she would also like to speak to Master Rinzen. Elder Yu has decided to support your proposal."

"Hey, that's great!" Rinzen exclaimed, sarcastically ecstatic, "Now put me down, Yǎn-sui, or so help me, I'm going to forget about being a pacifis- ack!"

Yǎn-sui made a show of keeping Rinzen upright after taking him off his shoulder, before turning to the woman. "Lien, I…"

She looked up at him, coolly polite and devoid of any hint of her earlier agitation. "Is there something troubling you, Master Yǎn-sui?"

'_Not if you say so,'_ he thought in relief and held out the lightning-bending scroll and Huánglóng's fang. Rinzen looked at the objects, eyebrows raised quizzically, but kept his mouth shut. "The shrine has been destroyed," he said in undertone - there were plenty of villagers passing to and fro on the dock, more than a few of whom were staring with outright curiosity and growing anxiety at their odd gathering.

Lien, hearing the murmuring behind her, understood immediately. "Thank you, Master Yǎn-sui. I will take these to Elder Yu at once," she said quietly, drawing off her white scarf and swiftly but gently swathing the relics before taking them into her arms.

"Lien, don't…!" Rinzen hissed at her, eyes wide. He reached out instinctively, but Lien tossed her hair and turned away.

One or two gasps sounded from the crowd that had now assembled, and for a moment, Yǎn-sui wondered if they had caught a glimpse of the fang after all. He noticed several of the women, elderly dames and mothers with their children, glaring coldly at Lien as she approached, the men whispering and frowning darkly. One of them stepped forward, the same grey-lipped boat-builder who had been part of the welcoming committee on his first visit to Lài-nang.

"Ah, hell – we're in for it now," Rinzen muttered under his breath, his stance tensing as he stared helplessly at Lien.

"What is it, Kang?" Lien asked, halting before the large, bald-pated man, "Let me pass, I must return to the elder's home."

"You can when you put that veil back on," Kang growled, folding his heavily muscled arms across his chest, his stance clearly indicating he would not budge an inch.

"My business with the elder is more important than a flimsy scrap of cloth," she replied quietly, but the steel had crept into her voice, thick silk sliding over a drawn dagger.

Hissing and other noises of censure escaped the throats of the suddenly hostile assemblage. Rinzen took a step forward, only to have Yǎn-sui's hand descend like an iron glove on his shoulder.

"What in Tian's name are you…?!" Rinzen snarled, only to stop short at the look in Yǎn-sui's eyes.

"Don't," he warned the airbender, "A challenged female is a lethal female."

"Is that what your mourning amounts to?" Kang demanded, drawing confidence from those around him to berate the girl, "A 'flimsy scrap of cloth'? Your husband's spirit still hangs over your head, and you _dare_…?!"

Kang made the mistake of reaching for the cloth bundle Lien held against her chest. Only Yǎn-sui saw how she clasped the man's wrist, twisted, side-stepping so that his momentum carried him past her, exerting just enough force to ensure that he slammed face-first onto the boards of the dock behind her.

The stunned crowd parted for the young woman, who proceeded to the elder's house along the outer walkway with a purposefully unhurried pace.

'_I'm amazed more of these males haven't been eliminated for the liberties they take with females,'_ Yǎn-sui thought, stepping over Kang's groaning, prostrate form, a benumbed Rinzen in tow. Jiān was waiting, and he had no time to waste.

* * *

When frightened and traumatized refugees began seeking sanctuary in Lài-nang, Elder Yu approved an emergency measure of vacating the largest building in the center of the village, which served as a catch-all meeting hall and place of worship and healing. Anyone, villager or refugee, who suffered sickness or injury was moved to a hastily-erected sick-house.

Little more than a roof supported by posts and movable screens of woven bamboo serving for walls, the sick-house perched atop a pontoon moored to the village docks. In case of an epidemic, the impromptu structure could be moved to a different location (or simply cut adrift). While the idea of a transportable "boat of contagion" did not sit well with the more traditionally-minded, others had argued it kept the village healthy and "safe," in that additional sources of panic and unrest could be kept safely out of sight, if not out of mind.

Besides, their argument went, if anything remotely resembling a plague reared its head, the goddess of the river would send her priestess to succor the afflicted.

Yǎn-sui looked dubiously at the sick-house, wallowing at the ends of three long, thick ropes tying its stern to the trestle of the dock he stood on. This end of the village was quiet, even in the middle of the day. No boats going downriver to fish or trade left from this dock anymore, giving wide berth to the ungainly structure and all it symbolized.

Rinzen seemed to be thinking along the same lines, muttering, "Why don't they just send everyone downriver instead of pretending to care about their safety?"

"An eminently logical solution, as you humans don't believe in disposing of your weak by eating them," Yǎn-sui agreed.

"… you'd think I'd be used to you saying stuff like that by now," sighed Rinzen, looking inexplicably green around the gills, passing a shaking hand over his hair.

"Remain here," Yǎn-sui told him, jumping down from the dock.

"Sure, fine, whatever," the airbender said with a long-suffering roll of his eyes at Yǎn-sui's brusqueness. He took a seat at the edge, swinging his feet over the water. "Just don't take too long chatting, I want to know what's going on!"

Feeling the reassuring surge of Jiān's chi, like the familiar embrace of his granted fire as he touched down onto the river's face, Yǎn-sui wondered if he really ought to have been so short with Rinzen. He sensed her presence whenever he touched the water now, even back under the cliffs where he had faced Uutu and Anu. Consumed with confusion and a sense of impending doom, he had not felt the same measure of certainty that closer proximity seemed to grant him. It was laughable, now that he thought about it. _'As if they could have done anything to her without my knowing,'_ he chided himself.

"Jiān, I have returned as ordered," he said, respectfully announcing his presence as he alighted on the narrow "porch" the screens allowed, crouching down on the planks until she admitted him into her presence, "Rinzen is with me."

There was a brief scuffling noise and the screen was jostled open by none other than Xing. The boy, not quite as tall standing as Yǎn-sui was crouching, gave him a look of sullen recognition, making as little outward note of Yǎn-sui's appearance as Lien had. "The lady priestess is waiting," he informed Yǎn-sui shortly, chucking a thumb over his shoulder toward the darkened interior.

Yǎn-sui nodded and half-rose, stooping low under the eave of the rickety roof. His eyes immediately adjusted to the shadows, sliced and speckled here and there with wedges and spots of sunlight. A dozen humans in all inhabited the sick-house, making for incredibly cramped quarters. Most were asleep, although several near the rear paused in their whispered conversation to regard him with anxious, haunted eyes. A young man sat apart from them, staring glassily out at nothing, his garments rent and bloody. The air was stifling, although ample fresh, cool breezes flowed through the screens. Yǎn-sui chalked it up to too many frightened, exhausted humans crammed in to too small a space.

Jiān knelt beside a little girl who was utterly absorbed in watching the goddess as she gathered the remnants of luminescent healing water into the hollow gourd at her knee. The blue-tinged glow made the blood-marks stand out all the more sharply on Jiān's pale face.

"Can you sleep for me now?" she asked the girl, acknowledging Yǎn-sui with a glance and brief smile before turning her attention back to her charge.

"Uhm-hm," the girl mumbled, tucking her thumb between her pink-bud lips and wriggling down into a comfortable position. She was asleep before her head hit the worn reed mat beneath her.

"The wounds are healed, and the sickness is no longer in her lungs," Jiān said quietly, looking at the elderly woman who had been sitting quietly anxious opposite her on her own pallet, watching the healing, "She should sleep through the night and be as good as new tomorrow morning." The woman clasped her gnarled hands together and bowed wordless thanks to Jiān, before easing herself down so that her head was mere inches from the girl's, her spindly arm tucked across the child's chest.

Jiān moved forward and knelt down so that her knees were practically touching Yǎn-sui's. "Xing, thank you for bringing the meal for them," she said softly, barely above a whisper, "But can you do me one favor and…?"

"I can find a toy for Ai-li, that's easy," he said gruffly, glancing at the sleeping child, "Kiyo'll have something for her or I can make a paper toy like Rinzen taught me."

"Yes, thank you," Jiān said, smiling, "You are very kind."

"Hn." Xing ducked out of the sick house, footing his way up the middle rope to the dock with the agility of a lemur. He passed Rinzen with a barely a nod, bent on carrying out his mission.

"Let's go outside and let everyone rest," she suggested to Yǎn-sui. He bowed and backed out of the sick-house, stepping down onto the river. Jiān followed, placing her veiled hat on her head as she emerged into the late-afternoon sun. "You've heard that Elder Yu has decided?" She sounded distracted, tired; perhaps even Jiān's unfathomable patience with her humans had worn thin.

"Yes – Lien informed me upon my return." Demon and goddess joined Rinzen on the dock, Yǎn-sui merely leaping straight up onto it as was his wont, Jiān riding up on a graceful column of water.

"So…" Rinzen said to Yǎn-sui as he got to his feet, "what new impending doom hangs over our heads this time?"

Yǎn-sui huffed, but quickly summed up his duel with Uutu and Anu's intervention, omitting the latter's wild accusations regarding Yǎn-sui's own loyalties. "Anu destroyed Lord Huánglóng's shrine out of spite when he came to drag Uutu away," he concluded, "The relics survived and I brought them back to Elder Yu for safekeeping."

"Oh, so _that's_ what…!" Rinzen exclaimed, understanding dawning on his face. He slumped his shoulders, banging the heel of his palm into his forehead. "Lien probably thinks I'm as big a thick-headed ass as Kang now."

"What are you talking about?" Jiān wanted to know. She had thus far absorbed Yǎn-sui's report without interruption or expression, but at Rinzen's mention of Lien, she became concerned.

"She took off her veil to hide the relics – not everyone was happy about that," he replied.

Jiān raised an eyebrow, then smiled grimly. "Lien is a strong soul," she said, eyes glinting with a hard look Yǎn-sui had not seen before, "They will understand in time. And if they don't, I'll make them!"

"I don't doubt it," said Rinzen with a chuckle.

"Getting back to what's _important,_" Yǎn-sui interrupted, wondering why they seemed so wound up in Lien's affairs when she had proven more than capable of handling them herself, "from what Anu said, I have no doubt left that the interlopers are indeed god-eaters, and that Jiān is their true target."

"I thought we already said that," Rinzen said after a pause, "How does that change anything?"

Yǎn-sui glared witheringly at him and turned to Jiān.

She shrugged. "It changes nothing," she said firmly.

"Yes, it does!" Yǎn-sui snapped, "The human prey is just a diversion! You must…!"

"'Must' what?" she interrupted in a sharp voice, "Yǎn-sui, now that you know this, is it going to change your plan to evacuate the humans to the island?"

"… No, but…"

"Then that's what we concentrate on. Unless you can tell me exactly how Anu and the others will… will take my power, your plan goes forward and we make protecting people our priority. Even if they aren't the target, they're suffering and I won't allow…!" She stopped abruptly, a strange expression ghosting over her features. "Anyway," she continued hurriedly, noticing the looks the other two were giving her, "we should return to Elder Yu's house to help send out messengers to the outlying villages, as well as get the boats together… oh, and we'll need to notify the Council in Jiāng Hui that…!"

"Way ahead of you," Rinzen interrupted with a smug smirk in Yǎn-sui's direction, "Lhamu and I can get down to Jiāng Hui ten minutes, if Elder Yu hasn't already sent a runner, and messenger hawks are standing by here and there to fly to the remaining villages, upriver and down. A couple of the village leaders I talked to while doing your survey agreed to have boats ready within the hour to evacuate anyone who doesn't have their own boat, if Elder Yu gave the word."

"Then send word to the upland villages that remain that they should come down by the water, streams, waterfalls, until they join the river," Jiān said with a brief questioning glance at Yǎn-sui, who inclined his head in agreement, "I can see better that way, and in case demons do attack somewhere…"

"I… _we_ will be there within moments," Yǎn-sui finished for her. "I expect that Hau and Punga alone will instigate attacks, once the humans begin moving. I wounded Uutu quite seriously; I do not expect him to be conscious until midday tomorrow at the earliest." There was also a slight chance Tiào-fěi had bit deeply enough to be fatal, but it was unlikely Hui would allow that to happen, provided his idiot spawn kept hold of his horns. "From what survivors have said, Anu never seems to be responsible for killing or eating any humans. I believe he considers himself a command-and-controller, holding himself in readiness for the final confrontation with a more… deserving foe."

"Meaning Jiān," Rinzen guessed. Yǎn-sui nodded. Jiān snorted softly, crossing her arms over her chest and lowering the brim of her hat so that only her tightly pursed lips could be seen.

"Rinzen, stress to the leaders of these groups to keep panic and disorder to a minimum," Yǎn-sui continued without pause, "An army is at its most vulnerable in retreat, and humans rife with fear are a mob easily crushed. There is no need to attempt stealth, as that will be impossible. Tell them speed, above all else, is vital. Bid Lhamu to take as many of the weakest humans from Lài-nang to Jiāng Hui as she can, and both of you remain there to coordinate the incoming population and construction of fortifications until Jiān and I arrive. Go."

"I'll ignore the fact that I'm not one of your soldiers, and get," the airbender replied with a mock salute and turned back into the village, "Jiān, don't let him boss you around too much!"

Yǎn-sui waited until Rinzen was out of sight, resisting the urge to fling a bit of planking at his impudent head.

"Milady, I must insist…"

"Yǎn-sui, are you sure…?"

Yǎn-sui waited patiently. "Elder Yu told me that you have not been able to bend lightning," she said at last, drawing close to him. He tensed, but she merely took one of his hands in hers, bending over it so that the brim of her hat continued to conceal her face. "He said it lashed back at you so violently, he was afraid you'd be torn apart." Her fingers traced the lines of his palm, ghosting over the raised scars lightning had burned into him. Pain he had not been aware of dissolved under her cool fingertips. "Why did this happen?"

"Demons are not meant to wield the cold fire," he replied, torn between the urge to snatch his hand away from her caress and the bizarre need to let her continue, "It is against our nature. Lightning can only be controlled by one who is at harmony with himself and the Nature of his surroundings, or at least, one whose mind and spirit are singularly unified."

"Because demons are born of Chaos," she concluded, flattening her hand against his. She looked up at him searchingly. "Do you still want to try?"

He had expected her to forbid him to continue, to decry any further fruitless effort on his part. "I do," he declared, "There is something… I feel as though the power is there, just beyond my grasp, that if I could just reach out far enough, it will be mine." He knew he sounded frustrated, even petulant, but there was _something_ that told him he could grasp this chimera by the tail and make it his.

Jiān smiled, an expression of relief intermixed with a wry appreciation of his ego. "If any demon can wield Agni's lash, it should be the Blue Spirit," she agreed, "I will help, if I can."

Yǎn-sui had learned by now it was useless to argue against her inane ideas, so he merely nodded. "Jiān, I cannot leave your side, now that I know what Anu and the rest are after," he said lowly, although he was fairly certain the argument was all but lost, "You can no longer pre…"

"Even if you say I'm their target, I want you to protect my people," she interrupted firmly, squeezing his hand. She turned her head, gaze drifting toward the floating sick-house. "Why should they suffer, if I'm the one the demons want?" she asked in a whisper, eyes pained and anxious.

"That I do no know," Yǎn-sui replied. That fact had bothered him from the start, ever since Jiān first laid the bonds of life-debt on him: why should renegades of Anu's caliber prey on worthless humans if their objective was to consume the power of a daughter of Tui and La? Every time he turned the puzzle over in his mind, the additional fact that a handful capable humans were a_llowed_ to escape seemed more and more suspicious. As Agni's general, he had felt losses more sharply when one or two survivors remained to tell the tale than when a unit had been annihilated. Could it be that the enemy intended to do more with the humans than merely use them to distract attention from their true goal?

'_She's already shown that she doesn't place as high a priority on her own life as you do.'_ Yǎn-sui snarled, rejecting the dark whisper as foolishness. _'She couldn't… she wouldn't…!'_

Jiān blinked, startled by his outburst. "Everything you said, what I'm supposed to do during the evacuation… you think I'm not ready to defend myself," she said, sounding both embarrassed and accusatory.

"I know you're not. That is another reason you _must_ come with me in case they attack retreating humans," he answered truthfully, "Punga easily defied you on your own river, and he was not fighting seriously, as you said last night."

Jiān thinned her lips, piqued, then nodded slowly. "I knew I wasn't ready, but it's just so frustrating to realize how _unready_ I really was," she admitted in a quiet voice. She gripped his hand, hard, met his gaze squarely. "I will get better, I _have_ to."

"You will, now that you understand," he replied, strangely proud at the way her eyes shone with determination, "Today, and until we meet Oh at the headwater, we will train in combat as we keep the watch."

"Teach me anything you can – I want to learn, even if… even if it means I have to take a life," Jiān said resolutely.

He somehow knew what it took for her to declare as much.

* * *

Regarding the evacuation of Jiān's humans to the island he had designated as their "fortress," Yǎn-sui was forced later to admit he had woefully underestimated Elder Yu's abilities to lead warriors and non-combatants alike. He wondered how the old man could wield such authority, as much as a prince from a throne or a general on the battlefield. Grudgingly (and only to Jiān), he also admitted that in matters of siegecraft, the elder was far more adept. Having approved of Yǎn-sui's plan, the old man immediately reworked the details to accommodate human limitations, of which Yǎn-sui was necessarily ignorant.

Villages farthest from the river were notified first to evacuate, to give them more time to move children, elderly and those others incapable of descending from the highlands quickly. Village leaders living on or near the water were requested to stand by, and to use the time to gather what food was light and kept well, to supply the island should it become impossible to send out foraging parties. To the Council in Jiāng Hui, he dispatched all those in Lài-nang who had any building experience, villager and refugee alike. These would be responsible not only for raising Yǎn-sui's planned fortifications (under Rinzen's direction), but also crafting pontoon rafts that could serve as platforms for firebenders to repel attacks. He also designated Jiāng Hui itself as an auxiliary position, where a select few firebenders could depart up or down the river as necessary to provide cover for incoming refugees.

"… Master Rinzen also wants to know if you feel like coming down and slicing up a few more trees for him," the youth added, constantly poling his dory to keep it more or less steady in the current, "He's decided it's more important to build the pontoons and let us firebenders defend the island where we'll have space to cut loose, rather than try and fight while making sure we don't hurt anyone who isn't fighting. We've also elected squad leaders and are drilling formation bending like you suggested."

"… 'elected'?" Yǎn-sui echoed, wondering if he had heard correctly.

"Oh, yeah; it was kinda funny when one of the girls nominated herself as a squad leader," he chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief, "A village leader's widow at that! Must really want to get some back from those bastards who killed her husband!"

"Well, was she?" Jiān asked with frosty sweetness.

"Was she what?" the youth asked, befuddled.

"Was Lien made a squad leader?" she spelled out for him, the sweetness now dangerously cloying.

The human was thicker than mud on a swamp burrower's back, Yǎn-sui decided, for the youth merely burst out laughing, slapping his knee and nearly loosing his pole in the process. "Good one, there, lady priestess!" he guffawed, his scruffy black topknot bobbing with mirth, "You had me going there for a second! Naw, she got shouted down, but Elder Yu said since she was one of his best students, she would be in charge of one of the squads on the island, which is more than she deserved, if you ask me."

"I didn't; thank you for delivering Master Rinzen's message, Minzhe," the goddess replied with acidic politeness, "My regards to Elder Yu and your father."

"Hey, always happy to help!" Minzhe said, slightly discomfited by the way Jiān's smile looked more like a baring of teeth. He pushed off the river bottom, drifting toward shore until he was caught in the stronger current and shuttled down the river.

"Honestly, his parents must have named him out of wishful thinking," Jiān muttered under her breath, turning back to Yǎn-sui. "Not that I know much about getting ready for war, but things seem to be going rather smoothly."

"Hn," Yǎn-sui agreed distractedly.

Jiān tilted her head. "Too smoothly for you, perhaps?"

Yǎn-sui grunted, shrugging. "It's been nearly two full days since the humans began moving," he mentioned. He and Jiān had stationed themselves about ten miles upriver from Lài-nang, where the river first opened up from the series of rapids that began under the waterfall; here, the river's face was placid, at dawn and dusk looking much like smoothed stone rather than water. The sparsely-wooded banks themselves were much broader here than near Lài-nang, the cliffs ascending gradually above them for several tens of feet before assuming the more sheer nature of their neighbors. Of all the terrain between Jiāng Hui and Jiān's headwater, this was one place where a waterborne or aerial ambush would be most difficult to achieve, even on a cloudy day such as this one. In addition, the sizeable village on the left bank, now emptied of inhabitants, had served as a main transit point for evacuees from the uplands, affording Yǎn-sui a personal observation of the evacuation in progress. There had been little need for him to do more than that; as Jiān said, everything had gone smoothly, just as they planned. _'But…'_

"But you'd have expected the other demons to have done _something_ by now, right?"

Yǎn-sui blinked and Jiān quirked a smile. "Precisely," Yǎn-sui admitted, beginning to pace. "Are you _certain_ you've had _no_ indication of enemy activity on any of the upper reaches of the river?"

Jiān shook her head, giving no sign that she was bothered by his impertinent question, in spite having answered it twice already. "Not that I could see, and I've been pushing the limits of my vision as much as possible, even during our sparring." She waved at the surface of the river beneath her feet, where the faint threads of her manifested chi shivered like a spider's web in a breeze. "If anything _has_ happened, the demons aren't letting any survivors slip away this time."

"Hmph, the whole point of selecting a few "lucky ones" to live was to sow terror and confusion among the rest," Yǎn-sui dismissed, "Of that I'm certain. It must mean that Anu and the others have pulled back to allow the evacuation to proceed without interruption."

"And that bothers you," Jiān stated. She bit her lip, looking downriver. "You did say you thought the demons were "herding" the humans the other day. How does that play into their goal of… of taking my power?"

Yǎn-sui stopped pacing to eye at her silently, weighing his options. Jiān was his master by chance and duress; granted, she had shown more generosity and respect to him than any god in his acquaintance, but her desires conflicted with common sense. Even if she had bound him to protect humans, he still served her first and foremost, in that he owed her the life that she had saved. In truest terms, was not doing all he could to preserve her life his first, indeed _only,_ priority, rather than obeying her foolish whims?

_'Stop playing with semantics, whelp, and admit you'd rather kill all the humans in this valley yourself than let her sacrifice herself when they use them as hos-'_

"I'm not certain," he finally said, gripping Tiào-fěi's hilts with more strength than necessary as he drew them, "Let us return to our sparring for now."

"… Right." Jiān shifted into a neutral stance and waited expectantly.

"What is the fundamental principle of Water as combat?" Yǎn-sui asked, darting to the right and circling her in a blur of blue and black.

"Defense turns to Attack and back again in one form; cycle becomes variation, variation becomes infinite," Jiān replied, whirling and raising a thick trunk of water that swallowed his downward slash with Tiào-fěi's right blade. She pulled, capitalizing on the momentum he had put into his attack, until it seemed certain he would plunge into the river. Yǎn-sui did not resist until the last possible moment, then fed fire down the length of the blade, evaporating the entrapping water into steam. He ducked under Jiān's guard, but did not get a chance to strike, for Jiān had already spun away, opening a vortex in the space where she had stood. It caught Yǎn-sui's left leg and pulled hungrily; only by the dint of pure brute strength was he able to yank free. By the time he regained his footing, Jiān advanced the attack again, swiping at him with at least a dozen flails of water that wove a dance of impenetrable defense around her and drove him back, never allowing a split second's rest.

Yǎn-sui smirked inwardly as he retreated; she was getting overconfident. He slewed around and landed on the bank in a single bound just as she directed all the streams of water to collapse on him. Before she could recover, he sprinted up the bank to a jutting overhang of rock and leapt high out over the river. Just as gravity reclaimed him, he unleashed his fire-breath, throwing up a towering wall of steam just short of where Jiān stood. He landed silently in the concealing cloud and lightly tapped her arm with the flat of his blade, signaling the brief bout had ended in his favor.

"Tch, I keep forgetting that I have surround you with water before you get a chance to do that," Jiān said, clearly annoyed with herself as she dispersed the lingering mist with wave of her hand. "You're moving a lot faster today, though. Am I getting that much better or are you still having trouble fighting on water?"

"Mostly the former, more of the latter than I like," he replied.

Jiān pursed her lip, cradling her chin between her thumb and forefinger. "That doesn't make any sense," she said, shaking her head, "The water is my will and you share it – you should have no difficulty at all."

"You do remember that I am both _demon_ and of _fire_, don't you?" he asked, wondering if he should be annoyed or insulted.

"You know, you keep going on and on about that," Jiān said, almost talking to herself, "What exactly makes you so sure fire and water are not supposed to work together?"

"Because that's how it is; that's what this whole War is about," he said, decidedly annoyed now, "Just because you wish it to be different doesn't mean that Nature automatically realigns into Harmony and…"

"I'm not asking it to, I'm just asking you to try and think outside of terms of _conflict_ between Fire and Water and see if you can't find any middle ground there, a… a b_alance_ between…!" She paused, eyes flying wide in wonder. "You know… ever think that "balance" might just be "compromise" by another name?"

"… what?" Yǎn-sui asked, too bewildered for the moment to be annoyed.

"Or how about "complement"?" Jiān continued excitedly, apparently unaware she had lost the other participant in the conversation, "I mean, you've been able to teach me how to turn my control of the river to fight when I never thought I could, and that's only because you know both fire and water very well (granted, that's because you're really good at killing water gods and spirits, but still…)! Both of us working together managed to get you to walk on water, why can't _that_ be the answer to you being able to wield lightning? If harmony or balance or whatever is what's necessary to use it safely, why can't we figure out a way to make demonic and divine, Fire and Water, work to our advantage, even substitute for…!"

"Hold it!" Yǎn-sui yelled, crashing Tiào-fěi's crossguards together with the sound of a temple bell striking. Jiān yipped and clapped her hands over her ears, shooting Yǎn-sui an affronted look. "You're getting a little ahead of yourself, milady…"

"You use that word more like a scolding than a term of respect, I've noticed," she interrupted, refusing to yield the floor, "Look, it's only an idea I have, we can keep sparring, I just want you to think about fo- someone's on the river." She moved past him, eyes fixated upriver. The silver threads of her chi spun together in thick chords to zero in on the intruder. "They're using ice. Punga."

"Track him; I will cover the sky and land," Yǎn-sui said, moving behind her so that they stood back-to-back, Tiào-fěi at the ready, tongues of blue fire flickering into existence. Their current position was equidistant from both banks, neutralizing any land-based attack. He scanned the sky and tasted the air, expanding his awareness. If Anu was in the vicinity, he was hovering somewhere above the cloud cover. On the periphery of his consciousness, like a shadow in the corner of his eye, he caught the impression of Punga's presence. It was muted, not at all like that of a demon entering battle.

"He's moving pretty slowly, like he wants to give us time to know he's there," Jiān mentioned in a tense voice a moment later. Yǎn-sui sensed her puzzlement.

"Are there any humans nearby?" he asked.

There was a rustling sound as Jiān shook her head, the brim of her hat brushing against his back. "No. There is a group upriver of him, but he's far enough ahead of them that he'll reach us before they come upon him. Should I try grabbing him while he's still out there?"

Yǎn-sui considered. "It appears he has some business with us; best not to show our hand until we figure out who's with him. You can raise a swell of water if you feel like it, encourage him to move along smartly."

"Maybe he's coming to surrender," Jiān suggested with a laugh. She was trembling.

"Don't get too eager, and don't get nervous," he murmured to her, "Be as calm as the placid lake until it's time to strike, it's in your nature."

"Do you realize how incredibly ironic that statement is, coming from you?" she asked, laughing again, but this time with genuine mirth. She straightened, laughter cut short. "All right. He's here."

Yǎn-sui had already moved to stand beside her. As Punga emerged into view, he immediately sheathed his weapon. "He is marked with the Sign of Herald; "parley," if you prefer," Yǎn-sui explained to Jiān, who was glancing up at him out of the corner of her eye with a rather dubious expression on her face. "Speak, Punga. And stay where you are; I will consider another step forward an invitation to suspend the Sign."

"Listen, black-mane, if it were up to me I'd shove my sickle up your ass right now, Sign or no Sign," Punga growled irritably, curling his lip and scratching at the pair of overlapping circles painted on his browridge with a claw. He was conspicuously devoid of visible weapons, as required by one bearing the Sign of Herald, and seemed all the more ill-tempered for it. "Because of you, I have to run this peon errand instead of that limp-brained puppy."

"Your fault for letting him off his leash," Yǎn-sui pointed out, folding his arms.

"Go jump in a bunghole and rot," Punga retorted boredly.

"What manner of parley do you want with us, or did you just come to trade insults with Yǎn-sui?" Jiān demanded in a stern voice.

Punga's eye widened as it roved over the Signs scribed on her face. "Well, well, well… either the black-mane's got a sicker sense of humor than I thought or you felt like taunting me, chicky."

Jiān bridled, then breathed out forcefully. "Is there something you need from us, Punga? If not, please go away, your presence on my river is unwanted."

The ice-demon chuckled nastily. "Unless you can raise the dead or hand over your daddy, chicky, you've got nothing _I'm_ interested in. My superior, on the other hand, decided to make this all nice and official." He coughed and rattled off in a desultory manner: "Let it be known any and all those under the benign protection of Jiān, goddess of this river, etcetera, etcetera, or in service thereto aforementioned, that upon the rise of Agni's eye succeeding the descent of La's blinded lantern, that they shall face us on the field of battle with no quarter given or taken. Until that time, hostilities will be suspended in preparation. That is all." He paused, considered. "But if you feel like inviting slaughter on all those frightened koala-sheep while they're strung out, do please, try and start something. Now." He clicked his tongue and beckoned them with his paw.

"Why are you doing this?" Yǎn-sui asked, straining against the urge to answer Punga's provocation with a short blast of his fire-breath.

"Yeah… not in my job description to tell you," the ice-demon drawled, scratching at his beard, "So anyway… we clear on this? You got five days, then we come for blood, death, and destruction; you know, all the fun stuff for us demons."

"… We understand," Jiān replied coldly with a curt nod, "Just make certain _you_ and your friends understand that you have underestimated my people and you will pay dearly for that mistake."

Yǎn-sui did not particularly care for the way Punga leered at her, nor the way his blanched eye kept flicking over the blood-marks. "I'll be sure to relay that message, Goddess. Don't think me forward, but you remind me more of your father than your mother."

"What are you…?!" Jiān gasped, lunging forward as Punga vanished under the surface of the water. "Gone, he's gone," she said bleakly a few moments later, the net of chi fading beneath her, "He must have gone back on land."

"Most likely," Yǎn-sui agreed, staring upriver. _'Eyes watching, I can sense them. Punga was not alone after all. But how…?'_ The memory of a stark white face and shadowed eyes half-veiled by mist and nothingness in the place of terror lanced through his mind; he recoiled mentally, then embraced it. _'The fifth Oh talked of… Punga's "superior." He must want this truce badly if he risked exposure simply to ensure Punga did not repeat Uutu's mistake. Have I played right into his hands, gathering the humans in one place, ensuring that Jiān will meet them head on in order to protect "her people"?'_

"Yǎn-sui, come on; we have sparring to do." Jiān's voice, reverberating with taut anger, jarred him back to reality. "I don't want to have made an empty boast to Punga."

"… No, we can't have that, not if I want to keep my reputation intact," he said, shoving the dire thoughts aside for the moment.

Jiān attempted to smile, but managed only a pathetic quirk of her lips. "Yǎn-sui… what do you think he wants from Tui? From… my father?"

* * *

**A/N: **Yǎn-sui's philosophical journey toward accepting humans as maybe not such a pathetic bunch after all is somewhat cliché, but I'll be darned if it's not a fun plot. HOWEVER, I can't resist throwing some speedbumps in the way - it just seems in Yǎn-sui's nature that Life is a zero-sum game, and as far as he's concerned, Jiān tips the scales. For now.

Next up, Punga has his own (narrative) chapter. Yay, plot point!


	26. Narrative: Of Twisted Lip and the Demon

_**Tales of the Spirit Age: Fall of the Blue Spirit**_

Part XXIV: **Of Twisted Lip and the Demon

* * *

  
**

"… the demon of ice, scorning the offers of the river maiden to assuage his lust for the blood of her people, then spoke again, his deformed maw frothing with hatred:

" 'You see before you a monster twisted by cruel Fate. Doomed I was, a miserable slave spat out of the Abyss to suffer the slings and arrows of the Gods' War. That I proved a cunning warrior and able commander proved only to lead me to further downfall, for my master Pana, God of the South Ice Wastes, placed upon me all the onus of defeat and none the glory of victory.

" 'You, Blue Spirit, Demon Warlord of Glorious Agni, you defeated my master's army, destroyed it, and cast me into shame! But not for that do I hate you with all my being, no, for it is your very existence that led to my greatest misfortune!

" 'My master cast me back into the Abyss, to redeem myself by dragging back others of our race to be enslaved, to fill the ranks of his annihilated army. I did this, eagerly, desperately, for I was but his slave and his will was mine. There in the miasma of the Abyss, I was given to mate, but upon seeing me, she cut out my eye and howled for my head, because I was not you, not the Blue Spirit, not the God Killer!"

" 'Wounded, dishonored, I fled from cruel Death at the claws of Nightmares back to the world of the Gods, where a kinder Death waited. But as I stepped onto the barren ice beneath the full cold light of La's lantern, I became afraid. Afraid because I knew that Nothingness awaited me on the other side of Death, afraid because my Life Above, even in the miserable caste of a slave, was mine, the only thing I could lay claim to.

" 'Beneath the ever-night winter sky, I chose not return to my master with my failure, but ran northward, to the white shore where the ink sea crusts the ice with salt foam. I ran though I bled, I ran to extend my worthless life one priceless second longer. I do not know what I intended, to let Lord Tui devour me, to cast myself upon the spearpoints of his hosts, but I took pleasure in the thought the end of my life would be in the manner of my choosing and not my master's.

" 'I ran to exhaustion, until I collapsed on the ice, with the scent of the sea in my snout and the slurried foam-shoulders of its dark waves beckoning me, falling into another well of darkness called Oblivion.

" 'Upon waking, I smelled another, neither God, nor Spirit, nor Demon, but Man. A child, blessed with Lord Tui's gift of mercy. She had cleansed me of the blood that flowed from my eye, and sealed the wound so that no pain lingered, only a strange patch of darkness where there had once been light.

" 'I was hungry and so I thought to devour her. As my claws sank into her, she looked at me not with the fear of prey staring into the predator's maw, but of utter joy, that I should be the avatar of Death. I, who had so cravenly desired to extend my life that I fled from God and Nightmare alike, did not understand.

" 'She saw my hesitation not for what it was and begged me to end her pain, as she had done for me. She was deformed and so a burden to her family, an object of hatred and scorn among her people. As proof, she unwound the veil that hid her mouth and showed me fissure in her face, a bloodless wound that twisted her lips and teeth and made her speech incomprehensible.

" 'She had eyes of such blue that Tian should be put to shame, for all her soul's suffering and mercy were there, shining from depths that defied Tui's kingdom. Neither my claws nor my fangs would obey her tears. I begged her to ask anything else of me, my horns, my blood, my bones, but she would not and went her way in silence.

" 'For many days thereafter, I evaded the hosts of Air and Water, Spirits and Demons alike whom the Gods dispatch to exterminate renegades. I became such a despised being without care, thinking naught of returning to Pana to receive my sentence or to seek my own Death, for hope that I might see her again consumed me with a desire to live.

" 'She dwelt on the outskirts of her race, a castaway from their number for the monstrosity of her appearance, for Men are blind and hypocritical, allowing the deformed to live only so they may heap contempt and abuse upon them. So I too became hypocrite, against the canon of my own race, seeking to keep her alive when I should have devoured her.

" 'In time, she ceased demanding that I repay her as she had first desired and told me her name: Tornuaq. If what is good is measured in warmth, and what is evil by cold, then I betrayed even the granted ice in my body, for warmth like that departed from Agni's eye crept into my very marrow when she was near and lingered even across the many leagues I journeyed to elude my hunters.

" 'But Fate does not take kindly to those who are defiant, and for my transgression, it was guiltless Tornuaq who paid. One day, the wind bore the scent of her blood. Fear like none I have ever known seized me, goaded me to flight, whispering terrible horrors to me that you should think me possessed by a Nightmare.

"She had been taken by Men who thought her a witch or malevolent Spirit, who had cursed their boats and driven away the fish they prey upon. They howled accusations as they dragged her across the ice where others waited to murder her for imagined crimes and fell upon her with stone and ice and bone, until I could no longer hear her screams. They saw me not, not until I was among them, a great bear-shark among koala-otters, until their blood flooded the ice with red, consuming the stain of hers.

" 'She called to me, a wordless cry, bringing my bloodlust to heel. Her life was fading, leeching into the bloodstained snow. I took her up in my arms, for I knew of only one who could save her: my master, Pana.

" 'For the first time in many, many days, I answered his summons, returned to his cold, hollow chambers. I went to Death, that she might live.

" 'My master spoke not as I laid her, still breathing, quickly fading, at his feet. He was silent as I pleaded with him. He turned away as I begged for any punishment, any torture, any Death he might devise, only that he would use his power to deny Death its due and make her whole. I dared to seize upon the hem of his robe and for that he cut me across my face with his lash of ice.

" ' "Slave," spoke he, "Get this refuse of your foul desire from my sight and commit thyself to Death for your transgressions. No flesh of mine shall I spare for the object of your base lusts."

" 'He raised his lash once more, but I flew at him, rage consuming the bonds of fear that had fettered me. I tore his heart from his chest and pressed the living flesh against her cold, cold lips, knowing I was too late but not wanting to believe. Death had claimed her for the dark depths and she was beyond my reach…'

" 'Hear me, Blue Spirit and Daughter of Tui, hear me and speak nothing of mercy, for I have none. Hear me, Blue Spirit and Daughter of Tui, hear me and speak only of vengeance, of Death, of destruction. Hear me, Blue Spirit and Daughter of Tui, hear me, for I will depart from this valley with the power of the Gods and wrest from Death's cold claws the soul of Tornuaq!...' "

* * *

**Archivist's Note:** The "Tale of Twisted Lip and the Demon" can be found among the many stories of the Southern Water Tribe, in varying forms. It is said that Tornuaq was a hideous witch who conjured an ice-demon to revenge herself on a man who scorned her lusts; alternatively, that she was a girl placed under an enchanted disfigurement by an evil Spirit, and was rescued by the god Pana, who either made her his priestess or married her; also, that she was born disfigured and that a warrior cursed with a demon's form saved her from a mob who thought her a witch, whom she then cured with her water-bending abilities; the couple married and lived happily ever after.

The archivist cannot but conclude the aforementioned versions are mere wishful thinking…

* * *

**A/N:** Hm, I wonder who this "Archivist" is... 83 So, yeah. In real life, people do not blurt out their motives in convenient (drawn-out) expository monologues. Thank goodness myths, Classic plays, anime and other mediums who use this device really aren't all that concerned with what people do in real life.


	27. Omake 2: Of Ettiquette

_**Tales of the Spirit Age: The Fall of the Blue Spirit**_

Omake 2: **Of Etiquette**

* * *

The river rustled and hushed over the pebbled bank, flickering between golden-orange and dull purple in the waning sunset. Yǎn-sui dropped the freshly-killed skunk-bear from his shoulders onto the ground with a dull, heavy _thud!_. Stinging, oily musk and blood from the skunk-bear's corpse perfumed the air, making him salivate, but he took his time, pacing a slow circle around his kill as he scanned his surroundings, ears twitching to detect any unseen foe.

A lone badger-toad _reeped_ throatily at him and trundled off into the reeds. Satisfied that he could enjoy his well-deserved meal in peace, Yǎn-sui turned his attention back to his kill. He squatted beside the ursine bulk and traced a line across the breadth of its soft belly with a finger, poking and prodding here and there to decide on the best axis of his cut. Yǎn-sui was particular when it came to the offal of his prey.

"Yǎn-sui! Yǎn-sui, hey!"

Startled, Yǎn-sui bolted upright, Tiào-fěi half-drawn before he registered that it had been Rinzen who hailed him.

Rinzen, who even now, was flying toward him.

Without Lhamu.

On "wings" of bright orange cloth.

"Hey, Yǎn-sui, what's up?" Rinzen greeted, touching down a few paces away. With a twirl and a sharp _snap!_, the "wings" disappeared into what Yǎn-sui recognized as the staff the airbender almost always carried. "Um, did I come at a bad ti- Hey!"

Yǎn-sui ignored Rinzen's indignant burst of protest, intent on studying the now-interesting human implement. "This staff… it allows you to fly?" he asked in amazement, turning it over in his hands, poking at the two roughly diamond shapes the bulged out near either end of the staff.

"It does, but only if it's not broken," Rinzen said through tightly clenched teeth, "Here, just… _stop_, I'll show you!"

Yǎn-sui allowed Rinzen to grab the staff back and watched closely. Rinzen coughed and held the staff so that the wider planes faced parallel to his body, then touched a miniscule tab of wood that barely projected from the center of the narrow length, about two-thirds of the way down the staff. The wings popped into view again, an enormous upside-down fan at the top, and a smaller, slightly wedge-shaped tail. The span of the main wing was as least a foot wider than Rinzen was tall, Yǎn-sui estimated.

"Here, you can look it over if you promise not to break it," Rinzen said, handing it to him with only the slightest hesitation.

Yǎn-sui accepted it with great care, for he could see that it was a delicate mechanism. The frame of the wings were mere lacquered slices of mountain ash, a hardwood Yǎn-sui recognized as the type favored for bows by both Earth and Air demons. The body of the staff was made of the same stuff, although it had been polished to high luster with what Yǎn-sui guessed was beeswax from the smell, rather than lacquer. The wings were of oiled cloth, finely woven and incredibly strong. "This cloth – it is made from sky-bison hair?" Yǎn-sui asked, after sniffing it.

"Good eye," Rinzen said, smiling and nodding, "It's a particular blend of undercoat fleece and guard hairs; the undercoat makes it light and the guard hairs make waterproof and strong."

"Did you invent this device?" Yǎn-sui asked, remembering Rinzen's kites.

The airbender smiled even more broadly. "Told you I didn't get my tattoos for being pretty," he said smugly, without any pretensions of modesty, "I came up with the idea of kites when I was about twelve, but I was always fiddling around with making them bigger, stronger, capable of carrying weight. One day I decided to see if _I_ could hang onto one, and well…"

"You flew?"

"It fell apart. I broke my right arm in two places, dislocated my left shoulder and fractured my shins pretty good," Rinzen rattled off, wincing slightly at the memory, "My mother, once she was done crying in relief, almost strangled me and forbid me from ever trying anything so stupid again."

Yǎn-sui handed the flying staff over and cocked his head. "You did not obey her." _'He's either braver than I first thought, or just insane.'_

"Well, I didn't do anything so stupid as trying it out by jumping off a cliff again, so not really," justified Rinzen with a blithe gesture of dismissal, completely ignorant of Yǎn-sui's internal assessment. With a flick of his wrist, the wings snapped back into his staff. "Once I got a working model, I showed it to the _lamas_ of my temple; they said that it demonstrated the ingenuity of a new form of Airbending, worthy of a "master." I was sixteen, pretty young to be promoted so high, but the Air Nomads aren't strict on age-rituals like the Sun Warriors." He shrugged, obviously pleased with himself. "Who knows, maybe one day, all Air Nomads will use my flying staff and I'll be remembered for the rest of history."

'_Assuming the Air Nomads __**survive**__ history,_' Yǎn-sui thought, still rather perplexed by Rinzen's professed belief in "pacifism," which he considered suicidal. "I suppose that staff can only be used by Airbenders?"

Rinzen paused. "I suppose if someone were didn't weigh all that much, and there was a strong wind and they jumped off a high enough place, a non-Airbender _could_ theoretically use it, but probably not very well." He balanced the staff on the palms of his hands. "Really, you need airbending to direct constant currents of wind around you, for lift as well as direction."

"What about additional weight?" Yǎn-sui pressed. He noticed the woven bag slung across Rinzen's shoulder and chest, bulging slightly from whatever odds and ends Rinzen had secreted in it. "Can you carry anything else besides yourself and that pack and still fly?"

"I can carry up to twice again my own weight, that I've tried," said Rinzen, raising an eyebrow. "Why, what's with all the questions?"

"I merely wanted to understand the extent of your… ingenuity," Yǎn-sui said coolly, turning away as though he was no longer interested in the conversation. His mind was rapidly working through the possibilities of Rinzen's flight capabilities. _'A skilled firebender, then, but one not much heavier than Rinzen, or the maneuverability must surely decrease in relation to the weight carried…' _

"Yeah, okay then," Rinzen said, narrowing his eyes at Yǎn-sui in suspicion. A slight breeze lifted off the water as Agni's eye slid behind line of cliffs, edging the bottommost clouds in brilliant magenta. "Holy fu… awck!"

Yǎn-sui stared as Rinzen made a strangled noise somewhere between a desperate gasp for air and a need to heave the contents of his stomach on the ground, hurriedly clapping a hand over his mouth and nose as his face blanched a rather sickly grey-green. "What…?"

"Sshshhhhhh…!" Rinzen hissed at him, eyes watering as he tore open his pack with a trembling hand and extracted a strange-looking bronze device that looked like half of a hollowed-out lemon-gourd with gills, the slender ropes affixed to it opposing ends rather like vines. This he clapped over his nose and mouth, leaning his staff against his shoulder as he quickly tied the chords behind his head. "Whew! Good Sky-mudder Dian, is datd a _sgunkg-bear?!"_ he asked shakily, his voice muffled and oddly distorted by the device.

"Yes. I killed it for dinner. Which you interrupted," Yǎn-sui said pointedly. He stared at Rinzen's bag, wondering what other strange contraptions he had hiding in there. "Another one of your inventions?"

"I habben du be radder senzdidiv du sdrong smells – dis masg filders dhe worsd of dem oud," Rinzen said defensively, breathing in shallow breaths; apparently, the mask only had a limited effect, as his complexion remained somewhat green.

Yǎn-sui bared his teeth in appreciation of the joke. "You have to get used to them, if you want to eat," he said jovially, "Come, I will share my kill with you."

"… Whad?" Rinzen asked in a shaky, ghostly half-whisper.

Yǎn-sui's claw slit open the skunk-bear from sternum to hip with a touch of theatric flair he considered fully justified from Rinzen's earlier displays. "Here, you may have the liver," Yǎn-sui offered, excising the choice morsel from the stomach cavity and holding out the slightly quivering, maroon-brown slab on his palm.

Rinzen stared at him with wide, horrified eyes. Yǎn-sui cocked his head, offended, until he belatedly recalled something important about human eating habits. "Ah, yes. It must be cooked for you to eat it?" he asked, rather put-off by the idea of _purposefully_ destroying such a delicious delicacy (his favorite) by exposing it to fire, but he was Rinzen's superior and thus Law (not to mention decorum) dictated he attend to Rinzen's needs, no matter how silly they might be.

"Uhm… no, no, no, dat's okgay, you eed id, I'm good!" Rinzen exclaimed, actually backing away.

Yǎn-sui stared, becoming concerned. "You look pale," he insisted. Humans were so frail, if Rinzen was ill, he would be of no use. "You should take in more blood. Liver is best."

"Seriously, you eed id, I'm good!" Rinzen declared, sounding oddly desperate, "I'm… nod hungry. Ade earlier, madder of factd."

"You… don't want any liver?"

"No. Nod datd fond of id, acdually."

"… You… don't like liver?"

"Um…" Rinzen shook his head vigorously.

Insulted, but restraining his temper, Yǎn-sui set the tidbit aside and stared hard at Rinzen. The human was making it _very_ difficult to be polite by not following the proscribed ritual. "If you're not going to eat the liver, at least have some marrow," he pressed, cutting loose one of the skunk-bear's hind legs at the joint of femur and hip bone. He ripped off the fur and cracked the femur in half.

_*__**THUD!**__*_

Yǎn-sui placed the dismembered limb on the ground and gave Rinzen's unconscious form a look of severe disapprobation. "Do you see now why I was insisting you take the liver?"

* * *

"… and then he fainted dead away. He wouldn't wake up, so I had to carry him here myself, leaving my prey for the scavengers to find," Yǎn-sui concluded, a touch resentfully.

"Thank you for doing that – Lhamu definitely appreciates your concern," Jiān said soothingly, patting him on the arm.

The sky-bison grunted in a tone overtly disgusted, and went back to nosing concernedly at Rinzen, stretched out on a makeshift pallet that softened the gravelly ground of the island's cove. Above them, fires blanked out the starry night sky as the humans toiled long into the night to complete their camp before time ran out on the demons' truce.

"If there is nothing else you need me for, milady, I will return to my meal," Yǎn-sui said, "If any of it is left that is. I will bring back some portion for Rinzen when he wakes up."

"Um, that… really isn't necessary," Jiān said, her voice and smile suddenly strained.

Yǎn-sui cocked his head, mystified. "Why not? I offered to share my kill with him, I cannot renege on…"

"It's because… well… Rinzen's a vegetarian," she blurted in an embarrassed voice, biting her lower lip and glancing up at him hesitantly.

"… A what?"

"Ah…"

* * *

**A/N:** Yǎn-sui, after many hours of explanation from Jiān, decided "vegetarianism" was as much a disease as "pacifism" and thereafter expressed his pity toward Rinzen for being thus doubly-afflicted. Rinzen more or less took it in stride.

Not that he had much choice, after insulting a demon so gravely. (In many cultures, the sharing of a meal is a sacred bond, and to refuse is tantamount to saying you don't trust a person and/or don't want to associate with them)


	28. Of the God of the Island

_**Tales of the Spirit World: Fall of the Blue Spirit**_

Part XXV: **Of the God of the Island

* * *

  
**

"The deployment of pontoon squads is as follows: a string of eight around the wider curve of the southern end of the island, no more than four hundred cubits separating each unit. Two each on the eastern and western flanks of this elevation, one taking point below us. Due to strong current at the foot of the promontory, and the rocks just below the surface, the point squad will have to use double anchors and take position an additional two hundred cubits in front of the island. In case of heavy fog, you must fall back and take up your secondary position here on the western shore, as third in line."

Yǎn-sui turned and surveyed the assembled score of squad leaders. Most of them were young, fishermen or owners of boats who ferried trade up and down the river; these watched him closely, their chi piqued with the eagerness to fight despite the cool early morning misting rain hissing down from the sky. Their inexperience in combat was obvious, but Yǎn-sui intended the battle to be short, so as to prevent too many from dying from their own recklessness.

He had tapped the best boatmen to man the pontoons, the rest taking up stations at various points on the island. Lien was among the latter, and the only female in the group. Several women, who wore white scarves in similar fashion to Lien's, had also been placed among the defense squads, too few for Yǎn-sui's taste. It was not until Rinzen explained the concept of "patriarchal society" that Yǎn-sui understood why.

(Perhaps "understood" was too strong a term, but he at least persuaded Yǎn-sui to not start an argument then and there with Elder Yu and the Council. "Nothing makes people less inclined to listen to you than when you say right out that you think their traditions are stupid," Rinzen counseled, "Especially when they are.")

"There will be two teams positioned near the mouth of the cove, on either side. You are to prevent any enemy attempt to enter the cove, and should it become necessary to evacuate the island, you must…"

There was a sharp exclamation of protest, quickly stifled. Yǎn-sui narrowed his eyes at the man who had made it: Ning, one of the Council of Jiāng Hui and leader of a village near the mouth of the river. He had been one of the most stubborn holdouts against Yǎn-sui's plan, and it bewildered the demon that the idiot had volunteered and been elected by his people to fight for them. "There is a problem?" he growled.

Jiān, standing beside him, touched his hand, the motion concealed by her sleeve. It was rather unnecessary, seeing as she had bonded him _never_ to harm a human, not even the obnoxiously stupid ones, but he found himself taking a deep breath and relaxing his stance.

Ning coughed, still obviously discomfited. "I don't suppose I have to remind you that I strongly disagreed with your plan when you and the lady priestess presented it before the Council," he began, rather inauspiciously, "But I was persuaded to change my vote because I trust Elder Yu's judgment; he said that you would be able to lead us and protect out people. But now, you are saying you cannot guarantee even that, after we've abandoned our homes?"

Yǎn-sui felt a frustrated roar clawing to be loosed from his throat; Jiān's hand gripped his ever-so-softly, as he took an unconscious step forward with the intent of throttling Ning for insubordination and stupidity. "No battle strategy is ever foolproof, as I explained, and as Lady Jiān and Master Rinzen and Elder Yu have explained to your Council. _Many_ times," Yǎn-sui replied evenly, although he had to raise his voice to be heard over the mounting tide of murmurs stirring up from the suddenly restless assembly. Some of the squad leaders seemed inclined to listen to Ning's argument, while others hesitated. It irked him that the humans were so ill-disciplined that they allowed eleventh-hour doubts to shake their resolve. "We cannot assume that our defenses are impenetrable, and neither should we condemn ourselves to annihilation. _If_ the perimeter falls, _if_ they wipe out the defense squads, _if_ the enemy penetrates the fortifications, then the boats by which you came to this island will provide the only means to escape a deathtrap, and the squads guarding the cove must fight a rearguard action to protect the survivors."

"But…" Ning tried to interject.

"No," Yǎn-sui cut him off with a snarl, "The time of truce ends at the next dawn. If you still have doubts, you can leave this island and trust your own abilities to save your skin. Cowards will only endanger the rest."

Ning bridled, spots of scarlet staining his cheeks above his beard. "I trusted the lives of my village to your champion, Lady Priestess," he addressed Jiān stiffly, "Even though we have not been attacked ourselves, you told us that the demons will not confine their attacks to the highlands and Upriver. We decided to help protect our brothers and sisters, and now your champion insults me directly! I demand satisfaction!"

"Aw, shut yer trap, Ning!" another squad leader, a lanky, pockmarked Upriver fisherman by the name of Xun, snapped, "Stop pretending you did us a favor! We coulda fought off the demons without you to screw things up with your…!"

"Don't you dare insult my clan leader!" This from a young trader, Khaing, whose fists were already limned with fitful tongues of yellow flame. "I challenge you to Ag- !"

"Enough!" The sharp _tack!_ of wood driven against hard stone punctuated Elder Yu's barked reprimand. The suddenly silent assembly parted, the would-be combatants looking furtive and ashamed as the old man's clouded eyes fixed on them. Elder Yu shook his head disapprovingly, and approached Yǎn-sui and Jiān. "Lady Priestess, Master Yǎn-sui, I apologize for the actions of my younger brothers. They are not soldiers and are used to having their voices heard on every matter, even when the timing is unsuitable." Another scathing look directed at Xun and Ning made the former duck his head, pulling his battered sedge hat over his eyes, while the latter buried his hands inside his robe and looked out over the water.

_'That's obvious,'_ Yǎn-sui snorted.

"I take no insult," Jiān said graciously, moving in front of Yǎn-sui so that the elbow she nudged into his ribs went unnoticed, "Neither does Yǎn-sui. We understand that everyone is concerned for the safety of their families and that they just want to understand how they can best protect everyone."

Yǎn-sui noticed how Lien's lips twisted with the effort not to laugh out loud as the rest of the group, apparently abashed by Jiān's simple proclamation, practically fell over themselves to affirm their intention to do just that. She returned his gaze and colored slightly.

"That is good," Elder Yu agreed serenely. He straightened and looked at Yǎn-sui. "Now that we have the last of our issues on strategy straightened out, I have a matter of my own to discuss with Master Yǎn-sui. Please stay, Lady Jiān, I wish to speak with you as well."

The squad leaders dispersed, murmuring among themselves as they descended the promontory where Yǎn-sui had convened the war council. The island sloped down steeply from this point, the northern extreme of the small patch of land lodged incongruously in the midst of Jiān's river. Just under a half mile across at its widest point, the island resembled a turtle-duck swimming upstream; the promontory was the head, the bulk of the island forming the shell. The south-western quarter of the island had been eaten away into a semi-circular recess by the flow of water, creating the cove where the boats had been dragged ashore or tied up to prevent them from drifting away in the current.

"I hope that we won't have to worry about fog tomorrow," Elder Yu mentioned, "I imagine it will only help the demons."

"Even if the weather turns in their favor, the river won't," Jiān replied stoutly, "I will do all I can to use it to our advantage."

"Yes, I have no doubt that you will, Lady Jiān," said Elder Yu, smiling indulgently at her, "The demons will learn to fear the goddess they have enraged, and will not set foot on the water. However…"

"You think the fortifications are our weak point," Yǎn-sui deduced.

Elder Yu raised his eyebrows and thinned his lips, nodding. "The squads on the river are the first line of defense, but that wind demon you spoke of can avoid them entirely and attack anyone taking shelter there," he said, extending his cane toward the wooden walls still being raised. Yǎn-sui had Rinzen direct the humans to raise an earthen berm abutting the promontory, using dirt and rocks dug from a perimeter trench to create a strong base for the thirty-foot logs that formed the main body of the walls. Two posterns, one leading down to the cove and the other facing the promontory, would be the only means of entering or leaving the fortification once they were completed.

The roughly rectangular space within the walls was filled with makeshift shelters that had gone up over the last few days like the blossoming of fungus after a heavy rain; in all, approximately eight hundred humans had left their villages to come to the island. More than half were capable of firebending, but Yǎn-sui, the Council, and Elder Yu set high standards for anyone who would be fighting outside the walls. In effect, Yǎn-sui commanded an "army" of only two hundred and sixty firebenders, and these would be thinly distributed around the island either on the pontoons or around the perimeter of the fortification at points most vulnerable to direct attack from the river.

Yǎn-sui understood Elder Yu's anxiety, although he was certain Anu would consider attacking humans beneath him. Hau was far more dangerous. Although he had proven sensitive to fire, Yǎn-sui was well aware that the fortifications would likely be for naught if the little berserker managed to get past the defenders. "Lhamu and Rinzen will take charge of the skies; he's selected Xing and two others to help him, I believe," Yǎn-sui said, "Rinzen won't allow A- the wind demon to control the air as he pleases." _'At the very least, they will provide a delay and give me or Jiān time to deal with Hau.'_

"I still think we should have archers on the walls," Elder Yu added, continuing an argument worn thin over the last week.

Yǎn-sui ground his fangs. "Archers on the walls will only antagonize the demons, and draw their attention to them," he explained with strained patience, "It is better to have the defenders on the island to keep them occupied outside of the fortification. It is a demon's instinct to fight the enemy in front of him during pitched battle, to the point of blindness to his surroundings." That had been the whole point of the fortifications, after all; not necessarily to protect, but to hide the humans, a fact Yǎn-sui grudgingly shared at Jiān's insistence. The focus demons required to wield a granted power was something no human could understand, he thought with a touch of envy. Benders, mere humans, could manipulate the elements with ease that he had acquired only after centuries of study and practice. Watching the pontoon squads drill drove the painful point home: although nowhere near as flawless in form as gods nor strong as demons, insignificant humans acting in concert could attain a frightening level of power.

Should a single human ever acquire the sheer brute force a demon could bring to bear, Yǎn-sui would consider the days of the gods numbered.

"But what if they change their focus on their own?" Elder Yu insisted stubbornly, "With archers, we have the chance to strike at them outside of the walls."

"Elder Yu, did you not say you placed your trust in Yǎn-sui to defend our people?" Jiān interrupted, the softness of her voice veiling reprimand, "You have tested him against your terms and he has proven himself time and again, if I may repeat what you have told me. He and I both, we will not fail you, please believe me."

It was something akin to seeing the rainbow fires dance in the night sky over the ice wastes, Yǎn-sui thought: puzzling, a trifle frightening, but nevertheless beguiling, the way Jiān had to speak only a few gentle words to win submission from those around her. Elder Yu's lips twitched with the effort not to smile as he nodded. "Fair enough, Lady Jiān; I suppose I can't very well stand here contradicting Master Yǎn-sui after scolding those young men for doing the exact same thing."

"Oh? I thought you just wanted to break up their fight before it got out of hand," Jiān replied innocently, "You know how much I depend on you for advice, Elder Yu."

Yǎn-sui gave her a poke in the small of her back; even her charms could be laid on a little thickly.

Jiān kicked her heel back into his shin as she bowed to Elder Yu. "If there is any matter I can assist you in before this evening, please tell me right away," she said in all seriousness.

"I think our people will be prepared to wait out the night, after all you've done for them," the old man replied, "You are a priestess – it is only fitting for you to commune with the Spirits who protect us before the battle. Now then, if you will excuse me…"

"'Commune with the Spirits' makes it sound like we actually have a working relationship," Yǎn-sui grumbled after Elder Yu was well out of earshot, "Oh would have us abandon our station on the night before battle just to tell us things she could easily spit out at any time. Typical hard-assed Earth Spirit."

Jiān wrinkled her forehead and pulled on a lock of hair. "I'm sure she has her reasons," she said hesitantly. It was a weak excuse and they both knew it. "I think Rinzen's trying to get our attention," she hurried to say, pointing down in the direction of the cove.

Yǎn-sui followed her finger and spied Rinzen as he mounted the head of the steep trail that lead down to the cove. "He seems excited about something," Yǎn-sui remarked blandly, "We should hurry."

"Ah, yes, that's… EEK!"

"Well, I did want you to hurry, but was that really necessary?" Rinzen wanted to know several seconds later, trying to stifle a snigger as Yǎn-sui calmly slung a distinctly ruffled Jiān from his shoulder and placed her on the ground in front of him.

"It was the most efficient method. I took care to run at top speed so no one would see. Jiān's dignity is uncompromised," Yǎn-sui answered pithily.

Jiān emitted a noise not unlike steam escaping a clay pot. "'Dignity' my foot!" she sputtered, rounding on Yǎn-sui, "I told you to give me some warning before throwing me over your shoulder like… like…!"

"A sack of yams?" suggested Rinzen with puckish helpfulness.

"Yes, that!" Jiān agreed, jerking her veiled hat into place and turning away from Yǎn-sui in a huff. "And stop grinning, it's not funny!"

"Yes, milady," Yǎn-sui acquiesced, resuming his customary stoic façade. "What is it that was so important Rinzen? Is the fortification not going to be completed on time?"

"Heh? Oh, no, no problem like that, just something some of the kids found in their secret cave that might be of interest," the airbender explained, waving them to follow after him as he turned back down the rocky thread of the trail.

"'Secret cave'?" Yǎn-sui echoed. Instead of following Rinzen, he jumped down onto the gravelly ground twenty feet below, into the midst of an assembled handful of whelps who had clearly not expected giants to be falling from the sky. "Where is this secret cave?" he demanded of them.

The smallest urchins began crying, while their elders merely gaped in surprise. Yǎn-sui frowned and growled, annoyed. For some reason, this made even the older ones crumple and sob in fear.

"Nice one, that," Rinzen observed, lofting over to Yǎn-sui with a casual gust of air that propelled him clear of the rockface. "Remind me never to let you babysit," he muttered before turning to the children and trying to calm them down, reassuring them that Yǎn-sui was not a monster, just a big mean, scary man.

"I thought humans didn't like lying to children," Yǎn-sui mentioned to Jiān as she came running up, rather flummoxed at being left behind.

"Sh, you," she hissed at him. She cooed like a mother dove over the still-sobbing whelps, promising pretty stones from the river-bottom for those who were brave and did not cry.

Yǎn-sui rolled his eyes and folded his arms. Even beasts knew to knock sense into uncooperative offspring, not coddle them.

"Hey, Mr. Yǎn-sui!"

Yǎn-sui glared down at the sturdy female whelp who had addressed him, looking up at him with amusement rather than fear. "What."

"Aw, don't you remember me?" she demanded with a pout, pulling on her bushy ponytail.

"No," replied Yǎn-sui.

The brat stuck her tongue out at him. "Fine, if you're gonna be like that, hell if I tell you where the secret cave is or about the special rock!" She made to walk away, and managed two steps before she was hauled aloft by the back of her tunic.

"I found what I need, if milady and Rinzen can deal with the rest," Yǎn-sui announced over the angry squawking of the whelp twisting in his grip.

Jiān and Rinzen stared, stunned, while the pack of whelps ceased their squalling and proceeded to cackle with glee. The girl responded with a flood of invectives hollered at the top of her lungs so that her face bloomed deep crimson.

"Yǎn-sui, put Jiao down right now!" Jiān gasped, "You're scaring her!"

"She doesn't sound scared," said Yǎn-sui, after a particularly nasty oath the girl fired at him coupled with a vain swipe at his face with her fist, but he obeyed nonetheless. The moment Jiao's bare feet touched the gravel, she kicked him as hard as she could in the shin. The other whelps went dead silent, clearly expecting some horrible reprisal. "Satisfied?" he asked her wryly, rather enjoying her tantrum.

"… Pretty much," Jiao grumbled, wiping her still-red face and glaring at her whispering packmates, "I'll show you and the lady-priestess the cave now. Xing's probably wondering what the hold-up is."

Jiao stalked over to the far end of the shore, past the overturned rain-glistened shells of boats to where the arm of the island formed a wall perpendicular to shore and river. Here, a narrow series of stones skirted the rockface, a ghost-path too fragile and too faint to be followed by anyone larger than a child. Jiao did not hesitate, footing her way lightly along the stones, not waiting to see if she was being followed. Exchanging glances, Yǎn-sui and Jiān took out after her across the water.

Jiao grinned as they caught up, rounding the terminus of the island where it met the open river. With the distinct flair of showing off for their benefit, she quickened her pace, leaping from stone to stone, until they were well clear of the cove and nearly at the extreme western end of the island. Yǎn-sui scented Xing before they saw him, standing guard in a natural alcove carved into the rockface.

"I brought the lady-priestess and Mr. Yǎn-sui!" Jiao announced unnecessarily. She patted the shorter boy on the head, much as though he was a well-behaved dog. "Good job on keeping a lookout."

"Didn't really have to, since no one else knows about this place," Xing replied grumpily, clearly irritated by her condescension and the cold rain that had soaked him through.

"Here it is," Jiao said, ignoring him, pointing at a low recess in the alcove, just above the waterline. A whelp Jiao's size could just barely fit into the opening. Yǎn-sui knelt down and stared into the darkness, breathing deeply of the air that it exhaled in slow breaths. The latent power here was carefully hidden to seem inconsequential, and he had his suspicions.

"What did you find in there?" he asked Jiao and Xing.

"We found a cave, a big one, and in the back of it was a rock that looks like a big bear-dog," Jiao blurted triumphantly, before Xing could get a word in, "It talks."

"'Talks'?" Jiān echoed, blinking in surprise.

"Only once," Xing informed her, beating Jiao to the punch, "Just this morning, Jiao tried to put a wreath of flowers around its neck and it told her to go away."

"It did not!" Jiao protested, "She told me not to touch her, is all!" She turned to Jiān and Yǎn-sui. "It was really exciting, and I wasn't the least bit afraid even though all the other kids got scared and- !"

"I wasn't scared either!" Xing interjected, "Why else do you think I said I'd stay out here and guard the cave until you brought Lady Jiān and Master Yǎn-sui!?"

"You too were scared – you fell over!" Jiao shot back.

"Only because I was surprised and because someone pushed me! You fell over too!"

"I did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"NOT!"

"TOO!"

"Enough." Yǎn-sui hauled the children up by the crowns of their heads, suspending them over the water. Both shut their jaws with a snap, goggling at him. "That's better." He placed them back on the rocks, rubbing their scalps and gawping at each other in silent amazement, and turned to Jiān. "They've found Oh's totem."

"I did wonder where she was," Jiān confessed, gazing at the hole in the rock, a troubled frown creasing her brow.

"She never told you," Yǎn-sui said, a statement rather than a question. He was not surprised. An Earth Spirit's totem anchored them to the physical plane, allowing them to manifest their spiritual bodies into corporeal form. If a totem were destroyed, the Spirit did not die, not in the sense that Men and Beasts die; instead, they became little more than shadows of themselves, largely powerless, often choosing to fade away into Mother Qi's body once more. It was their most vulnerable point, sought eagerly by their foes, so it made sense that Oh kept its location to herself. That the humans had stories about ghosts haunting this particular patch of land only made sense.

"Jiao and Xing, I want you to do something for me," he said to the whelps, "Do either of you have a knife?"

"I do," Jiao volunteered, taking a chipped obsidian skin-scraper from her tunic and showing it to him.

"Yes, that is perfect," Yǎn-sui said, baring his teeth in predatory glee. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Jiān watching him with a wary expression, though she refrained from comment. "Now, is the floor of the cave earth? Is it dirt you can dig up?"

"Yeah, a little bit," Xing answered, clearly mystified.

"Good. I want the both of you to go back into the cave, scratch together enough dirt to make a small mound, the size of your two fists together. When you do that, cut your palms with the knife and mix the blood into the…"

"Yǎn-sui, what are you trying to have them do?" Jiān interrupted, appalled. The whelps took their cue from her, staring at him in mute apprehension.

"Milady, I ask you to trust me," he said, "There is a reason Oh did not tell you the location of her totem, and I plan to remedy that slight." Jiān stared hard at him, then lowered her head, letting the veils swing into place for a moment before she turned to Xing and Jiao.

"Children, you don't have to do this if you don't want to," she said gently.

"I want to know what he's up to, telling us to do this, before I say yes or no," Xing said stoutly, folding his arms and shooting Yǎn-sui a challenging stare.

"Y-yeah, me too!" Jiao added, a trifle hesitantly.

"Well said. After you've mixed the blood into the dirt, take it and smear it on the totem, preferably on the snout or the chest or the paws," Yǎn-sui continued. "If she moves or speaks, ignore her, until you both have daubed her with the mud. When you finish, say this: 'Oh, born of Earth from the womb of Mother Qi, we bind thee. We beseech thee, by blood and Earth, to defend both from the Enemy, as mother defends her cubs.' Repeat that, so I know you have it."

The whelps chorused the invocation in tremulous voices, each stumbling after the first dozen words. Yǎn-sui had them repeat it until they could both say it in unison, in strong, sure tones. "This is to make sure the Spirit fights for us tomorrow, isn't it?" Jiao asked breathlessly, once Yǎn-sui announced himself satisfied with their oration.

"Precisely," Yǎn-sui replied, baring his teeth with grim humor.

Jiān bowed her head again; her silence told him that she knew as much as he did that Oh had no interest in defending humans against demons. He would wager she had even begged Oh to do so and been refused. Why else would she have sought to bind him to her will?

"Oh will not harm them," he said to her, after Jiao and Xing crawled into the hole and disappeared into the hidden cave, "She is female, they are cubs; even if she despises the race of Men, it would violate her nature, to shield the young and weak."

"You're asking them to bind her the same way I bound you," Jiān said in a low voice, taut with something akin to anger but laced with regret.

"Yes," Yǎn-sui answered simply.

"She will hate you."

"I do not care what she thinks."

"I'm angry with you."

"Yes. You also did not stop me or the whelps."

"You aren't sorry?"

"No. You bound me to defend your humans with all my strength and skill. I merely obey your will."

"Then my will is a terrible thing indeed."

Yǎn-sui did not reply. Jiān had stated irrefutable fact. She had accepted it, that night when she had chosen not to drown him, but to say it aloud, to place Thought and Idea into Word, told him that she had only now fully understood.

Presently, a scratching, scrabbling noise came from the hole. Xing and then Jiao, blinking and rubbing their dark-sensitive eyes with mud and blood smeared-hands, emerged into the pale morning light. Jiān moved immediately to cleanse them of the mud, healing the raw gashes in their palms. They paid no attention to her, eagerly reporting to Yǎn-sui the success of their mission.

"She said to tell you not to forget your meeting at the headwater," Jiao concluded, eyes shining with wonder at her act of boldness.

"And that if it weren't for the fact you served the goddess, she'd have crushed your bones in her teeth for what you taught us," Xing chimed, a trifle too eagerly.

Jiān shot Yǎn-sui a clear "I told you so" glance, which only made him smirk in satisfaction. "Should she ever get the opportunity, I'll welcome the fight," Yǎn-sui said. He looked skyward, where Agni's eye appeared as a mere bright circle, like his sister, through the thick cloud cover. "But for now, let us complete our preparations for battle."

* * *

Lhamu landed beside Jiān's headwater, thrumming nervously to herself and shuffling her ponderous feet as she snorted the cool night air with no small amount of displeasure.

"What's up, sweety?" Rinzen asked concernedly, jumping down from his seat on her head and patting her cheek.

"Oh is here already," Yǎn-sui told him from the saddle on Lhamu's back. He leapt well clear of the skittish sky bison, restraining the urge to reach for Tiào-fěi as he landed.

"Oh, please, tell us what's going on," Jiān said, lowering herself from Lhamu's saddle, "Why have you made treaty with the demons who are hunting my people?"

The bear-dog spirit rippled into view, the slender trunks of bamboo fading through her luminescent form as she paced toward them. She acknowledged Yǎn-sui with a disparaging snort, to which he responded with a wry bow. "This one shall take thee into the presence of mine father Hái-dǎo, to reveal certain Truths, but thy attendants must first shed their concealments," she said to Jiān.

"Wait, we have to take off our clothes?" Rinzen yelped. They stared at him, Yǎn-sui burying his face in his palm. "What?"

"The removal of garments is not what this one spoke of," Oh said severely, "but of concealments of self." Rinzen blinked, confused; Oh continued, ignoring him, In the order of thy importance, willt thou shed thy concealment." She glanced at Yǎn-sui. "Jiān, remove that one's glamour, so that his true form be revealed."

Yǎn-sui cocked his head in surprise. He had expected a more arduous test from the spirit. Earth Spirits considered themselves guardians of Truth and would reveal it to a supplicant only after a trial of the soul, to determine worth based on some measure known only to themselves. With a shrug, he walked over to Jiān and knelt in front of her. "By your leave, milady," he said.

"I just hope I can put it back the same way, or there will be all sorts of questions," Jiān said in undertone as she drew a chord of water from the pool and cast it over Yǎn-sui. As the glamour dissolved, Yǎn-sui stood and stretched, growling in luxurious delight of being clad once more in his own blue skin. He scratched at his cheek- and browplates with his claws and rubbed the tips of his ears and bases of his horns, feeling the tightness fade away.

"Whoa, you're blue!" Rinzen blurted. He winced in apology as soon as the words escaped him. "Obviously, you knew that," he muttered ruefully, rubbing the bridge of his nose, "Just… surprised me, I guess." His gaze flicked over Yǎn-sui, apparently fascinated by his horns and fangs. "You know, I wouldn't have used such strong language with you if I'd known what you looked like before."

Yǎn-sui grinned, revealing even more of his fangs. "Just be grateful to Jiān that she bonded me to never harm humans," he said, enjoying Rinzen's discomfort immensely.

"Yǎn-sui, enough of that, you're making Lhamu upset," Jiān chided, although she was smothering her own mirth. "But I hate to think you have to watch how you speak with Yǎn-sui if you're afraid of him now, Rinzen."

"Hey, if I only got scared just because I know what he looks like, I'd be an idiot," Rinzen protested, "I was afraid of him before, but I was just really good at hiding it!"

"You continue to amaze me, human, with your flashes of intelligence," Yǎn-sui drawled.

"Just as you continue to amaze me, demon," the airbender riposted with a smirk.

"Yes, the both of you are quite amazing," Jiān interjected before Yǎn-sui could retort, "I'm very happy that you recognize that, but if you can cut out the playful banter, Oh is getting annoyed."

The spirit was indeed looking irked, glaring at both Yǎn-sui and Rinzen with baleful amber eyes. "If thy frivolity has concluded, might this one proceed before Agni's eye discovers us here?" she growled. It was the first time Yǎn-sui had ever heard sarcasm from an Earth Spirit.

"Please do, Oh," Jiān said graciously, without hint of irony.

Oh's gaze fixed on Rinzen, who smiled nervously. "Upon thee is the Mark of the Sky Mother's protection," she said, voice suddenly grave, "About thee is an aura of darkness and blood. Reveal unto this one and thy allies that sin which thou hast concealed in thy soul."

Lhamu emitted a sudden loud bark of anger as Rinzen paled and stared at Oh in shock.

"Rinzen, what's wrong?" Jiān asked, laying her hand on his shoulder.

To Yǎn-sui's surprise, the airbender shied away from her, as though her touch had burned him. Lhamu growled, sidling around Jiān and Rinzen, clearly intent on charging at Oh.

"Lhamu, stop!" Rinzen rushed to cut in front of Lhamu, his hands braced against her forehead as the beast stopped and lowed in puzzlement. "It's alright… I'll be alright. If it's what it takes to help Jiān, it's alright. Besides, it's something I'd have had to tell someone eventually," he told her in a low, pained voice. Lhamu growf-ed mournfully, nuzzling his torso. He smiled wanly at Jiān. "I'm okay. Sorry about the ruckus." He heaved a deep breath and looked up at Oh. "Ten years ago, I killed three men. For this reason, this seal was placed upon me," he touched the triple swirl tattooed into his neck, "and I was sent into exile, to be known to all Air Nomads as one who has violated the highest Laws."

"No, Rinzen…!" Jiān gasped, hands flying to her mouth as she shook her head in disbelief.

"It was on a journey I took with my betrothed and her family," said Rinzen in a hollow voice of dark reminisce, "We were given a place to rest in the manor house of a lord who wanted to learn about our ways and what we had seen of the world. His two sons and a nephew took an interest in my betrothed, but she refused their advances. If I'd had been there, seen them, stopped them…! In the dead of night, they took her when she was checking on our sky bison, and...!

"I don't know how she got away; they tried to kill her, to keep her from telling the lord what his kin had done, but she escaped. She was so covered in blood, so…! I was the first person she saw and she ran to me, fell into my arms, told me what they'd done to her before collapsing unconscious. I… I saw red, heard thunder drumming in my ears, felt rage like fire in my veins. I hunted them, hunted them for days, and when I found them, I tore the very breath from their bodies as they pleaded for mercy." He sank against Lhamu, staring down at his trembling hands. The sky bison moaned softly, closing her eyes in reflection of her human's pain.

"At first, I did not regret what I'd done. When I was taken before the _lamas_, I told them as much. This seal is only supposed to be painted on a criminal's neck in henna, so that it fades away as he meditates and makes penance in order to be accepted once again as a restored member of the Nomads. But I… I had to get it tattooed into me, because I thought I would never repent for what I thought was a just act. But then, as the years passed… I realized that I had been wrong." Rinzen covered his face and laughed, a wretched burst of sound that was more a sob. "It's best that this mark can never fade, because I can never make amends, never bring those men back from the dead, never ask their forgiveness, never ask Sonam to be my wife after I murdered in her name."

Jiān approached wordlessly and folded her arms around him, holding him even as he tried to pull away. "How terrible," she whispered, tears falling from her eyes, "how terrible that you carried this pain in you for so long. How terribly lonely it has been for you and Lhamu." She stroked his hair, a gesture of comfort Yǎn-sui had seen performed by human mothers on their crying offspring. Lhamu nosed Jiān's shoulder, lowing in thanks.

"I hope you've been paid the price you sought, with his Truth," Yǎn-sui said to Oh coldly, "You should have extracted a more painful confession from me if you were going to be fair."

"Thine own trial is far from complete, but it is mine father who shall exact the levy," the spirit returned with equal aloofness, "Do thou now follow this one to the mountaintop."

* * *

The jeweled net of stars glittered icily in the blue-black bowl of the sky arching over the pinnacle of the mountain, a patch of darkness directly overhead where the new moon stood. Oh halted just short of the absolute summit, making obeisance to a weathered boulder that looked no different from any other they had passed along the way before moving to stand beside it. Jiān immediately sank to her knees and touched her forehead to the ground. Yǎn-sui swallowed an oath of protest at this humiliating display and followed her example. Rinzen mimed their actions in a distracted manner, and stayed sitting on the ground even after Jiān and Yǎn-sui stood. Lhamu coughed and ducked her head, settling down next him.

The blank face of the boulder shifted, lines like the face of an ancient lion-turtle traced in sand by a somnolent hand scrawling over it. Eyes, twin pebbles of beryl, emerged, glowing with a weary illumination that was nowhere near as bright as Oh's, but speaking silently of centuries long gone. Yǎn-sui did not need to be told that this was Hái-dǎo, Oh's father, and god of the island. He did wonder why the god thought so highly of himself that he should summon Jiān before him and not appear in his full corporeal form as a common courtesy. Jiān was clearly neither surprised nor offended by Hái-dǎo's affectation, but it galled Yǎn-sui all the same.

"Ah, Jiān…" The god spoke with a voice that was the whisper of leaves caressing stone, a dry, tired voice that perturbed Yǎn-sui, used to the arrogant, booming voices of the Earth Gods who treated with Agni, with its weakness. Had Hái-dǎo suffered a mortal injury? "It has been many years since we last spoke."

"It has, Lord Hái-dǎo," she said regretfully, bowing her head, "I am grateful that you have called me before you now to share your wisdom."

"Remove your veils and let me see the demon marks upon your face," the god said slowly, the lines of his "mouth" barely moving.

Jiān did as he asked. Yǎn-sui felt the growl rising in his chest and forcibly restrained it as Hái-dǎo stared long moments at the marks with his aged pebble eyes. "These are incomplete," he finally said. For the first time, his gaze went to Yǎn-sui, who stiffened and flexed his claws instinctively under the scrutiny.

A low growl of warning thrummed in Oh's chest and Yǎn-sui glared at her. "What do you mean by 'incomplete'?" he demanded of Hái-dǎo, "How do you even know what they are?"

Hái-dǎo regarded Yǎn-sui in silence, not a flicker in his hard eyes betraying his thoughts. "You are truly as my daughter described you," he said after the silence had nearly stretched Yǎn-sui's patience to breaking, "If you wish to understand, demon, first unsheathe your swords."

Yǎn-sui cocked his head in confusion, glancing sidelong at Oh. The spirit bared her fangs in displeasure, but said nothing. Without a word, Yǎn-sui drew Tiào-fěi from their sheath and held them up at the ready before Hái-dǎo's eyes. The blades hummed tensely in his grip, not out of eagerness for blood, but as if they wished to speak aloud. Yǎn-sui stared at them in shock, cold prickling at the nape of his neck like tiny needles of ice.

"Drive the left into the ground, and cut your palm with the right," Hái-dǎo said then.

"What?!" Yǎn-sui snarled, only to find Jiān's hand on his, restraining him.

"Lord Hái-dǎo, what do you intend by telling him to do this?" she asked reproachfully.

"I intend to show him how I know the marks upon your face are incomplete. If he refuses, then our conference shall end here and you may return to your river," Hái-dǎo replied tonelessly, as if he did not care whether or not Yǎn-sui would actually follow his command.

"I don't…!" Jiān began, only to stop short as Yǎn-sui plunged the point of Tiào-fěi's left blade into the ground, swiping his palm over the razor edge of its mate without pause.

"I can spare a little blood to earn the Truth he holds, if Rinzen can stand to have his shame wrung out of him for it," Yǎn-sui told her, cupping his paw so that the deep crimson blood welling up in it did not spill over and poison the earth.

"Jiān, heal his wound," Hái-dǎo ordered the goddess.

Yǎn-sui opened his mouth to tell the god to go jump into the Abyss, but Jiān had already gathered water from the thin air and was applying it to the cut in his palm. Yǎn-sui flinched as he saw his blood staining her skin, but he did not pull away; she would only order him to hold still. Jiān looked up and gave him a small, rueful smile, aware of what he was thinking.

"Take up the other sword," ordered Hái-dǎo just as Jiān let go of Yǎn-sui's paw, the healing complete, "Now, while his blood is still fresh upon your hand."

Jiān glanced at Yǎn-sui, who bowed his head in assent; what other choice was there? Biting her lip, Jiān reached out and placed both hands around Tiào-fěi's hilt. "_Aaah!"_ she cried the second she touched it, jumping back from the sword and letting it clang against the ground. She bowed over her hands, clutching them to her chest.

"Jiān!" Yǎn-sui dropped the other half of Tiào-fěi without care, seizing her hands to see how she could have possibly been wounded.

"Jiān!" Rinzen was on his feet now, as was Lhamu. He glared at Hái-dǎo. "You bastard, what did you do to her?!"

"I did nothing but what I said I was going to do," replied Hái-dǎo without expression.

"Jiān!" Yǎn-sui gasped, frantically wiping his blood off her hands, "Jiān!"

"I'm alright Yǎn-sui, I'm alright," she said shakily, "It just happened so suddenly, it caught me off guard." She tossed her head, blowing her bangs out of her face. "But at least Lord Hái-dǎo proved his point, right?" she asked shakily as Yǎn-sui stared in horror.

Swipes of bloodred had appeared over Jiān's eyes, so that when she closed them, another pair of eyes seemed to stare back at him. It was a Mark he knew, although he had never seen it before.

The Mark of Oath. But more importantly, the Mark of his sire: Zhāng-nán, the God-stealer. Now he understood why the other Marks had appeared disjointed and contradictory; alongside the third Mark, their Meaning became: "I, Zhāng-nán, swear to die even a traitor's death to protect this life."

Blood rushed thundering in his ears. He saw Jiān's lips move but did not hear her words. Rinzen was shaking his arm, staring at him and mouthing something intelligible. He closed his eyes and shook his head, hard, clapping his paws over his ears. _'Why? How?! Father, how could this be?!'_

_' "I told you, one day you would learn the Truth, why I betrayed our race. Today is that day, my son…" '_

Yǎn-sui opened his eyes and stared at Tiào-fěi, discarded on the ground, the left hilt and right blade stained with his darkening blood. "Father, you… for _her…_?" he gasped, not wanting to believe.

"Yǎn-sui, what are you talking about?" Jiān asked anxiously, gripping his paws and reaching for his face, "The Marks, what do they mean? Yǎn-sui?!"

"Tell me!" he howled at Oh and Hái-dǎo, oblivious to her entreaty, "Tell me why these Marks are upon her, why you know!"

"I know because I saw them placed upon her, three centuries ago by the demon known as the God-stealer: Zhāng-nán, the Firstborn of the Demons," Hái-dǎo intoned, "I know because it was he who told me her tale, and placed her under my daughter's guardianship and swore to return to protect her, even in altered form.

"Through you, his son, he has honored his oath, for it is his horns, guised as swords, which now lay on the ground before me…"

* * *

**A/N: **Fufufufufufufu~... Yǎn-sui's daddy gots some explainin' to do. Also, Rinzen. I might have to write his backstory in another TOSW.


	29. Narrative: Of the Demon Who Loved

_**Tales of the Spirit World: Fall of the Blue Spirit**_

Part XXVI: **Of the Demon Who Loved the Moon

* * *

**

This that follows is the story the spirit of the Island of Sān Duō revealed unto the Blue Spirit, his master - the sacred maiden of the river, and his servants, in the darkness beneath the new moon:

"Upon the exile of Yāo xīng at the dawn of the Great War, the god Tui, the Lord of the Seas, petitioned of the Shadowking the service of his mightiest warrior to guard his consort, La of the Moon. And so the Shadowking brought forth his firstborn from the limitless black depths of the Abyss: the Demon Prince Zhāng-nán. His eyes were embers of blood in pitch, his horns were as two curved swords of lethal steel, his form towered over his lesser progeny as the mountain towers over the foothills. Thereupon in the dark halls beneath the waves where Tui and his consort reside, Zhāng-nán was bound by Oath unto La, to shield her from all harm, to walk beside her in her nightly sojourn across the veiled Heavens. La bestowed upon him a sacred blade, which granted him access to the vault of Heaven, for he would accept no other power from the Gods and was indeed as powerful as any of they.

"For many and many a night's journey across the sky, La spoke not unto her silent guard and he ventured not to speak to her. Then it came to pass that glorious Agni dispatched a host to abduct her, for although the sin of their assignation remained still fresh in his mind, his lust for her would not be denied. This host of Gods, Dragons, Spirits, and Demons, an army of one thousand of the fiercest warriors of Agni's Court, thundered across the Heavens. Spying their approach, Zhāng-nán placed himself between La and the host of Agni and raised his holy sword, speaking but two words:

" 'Be gone.'

"The demons in the vanguard halted, overcome with terror. Thus the whole host of one thousand was thrown into confusion. As the hammer shatters fragile porcelain, Zhāng-nán slew them all, their blood and corpses raining from the Heavens in a torrent of fires.

"La was amazed by this display.

"For many and many a night's journey afterwards, La endeavored to have Zhāng-nán speak to her, to explain his warrior's skill, but Zhāng-nán answered her not. Angered, La demanded:

" 'Why art thou stubbornly silent? Am I not thy master? Dost thou find my company disgusting, that thou dost not even look upon mine face?'

"And so Zhāng-nán answered in reply, 'Milady is indeed my master,' and spoke not again.

"It came to pass that La was visited by dark visions as she rested in her chambers, premonitions and apparitions which tormented her day and night with terrors beyond even those vapors Nightmares conjure. Her presence waned and soon her lantern began to dim, fading to a lingering crescent that provided ill light to the night. No reader of dreams among the Gods or Spirits could assuage her anguish by explaining what her visions portended. At last, in desperation, she spoke to Zhāng-nán:

" 'I have heard told that the Shadowking harbors a deep wisdom that precedes even the wisdom of the Law and the Gods. Do thou take me to him, that I might prevail upon him to reveal the meaning of these visions that tear from me every shred of peace and happiness I possess.'

"Zhāng-nán answered in reply: 'I beg of milady, do not command this of me, for the price that mine father will demand in return will be terrible beyond imagination.'

"Three times did La entreat Zhāng-nán with the same words, each time growing more desperate as he refused her, for the visions taxed her very being, until at last she fell upon her knees before him and begged him with tears falling from her eyes.

"Zhāng-nán could not refuse her any longer. And so on the dawn of a day before a moonless night, Zhāng-nán escorted La, veiled in swathes of shadow to that place of Darkness that no Light has ever pierced.

At the Gate of the Abyss on the Barren Plain Where No God Treads stood the twin Earth Spirits, Ha and Heng, The Sleepless Watchmen. These brothers Mother Qi dispatched to guard against the day that Koh should emerge from the Abyss, before she sacrificed herself for the creation of the world. These two trembled as Zhāng-nán approached, and fell to one knee as La revealed her face to them.

" 'Go thou hence to some place removed,' ordered she, 'And there wait until I hath held conference with the Shadowking.' Ha and Heng paused but one moment before obeying, for she was a Goddess among the Gods.

"And so proclaimed Zhāng-nán in a voice like a trumpet blast: 'Milady La of the Moon, consort of Lord Tui of the Seas, the Changing-Silver-Lantern-of-Heaven, and the Guardian of Night, doth crave word with mine father, the Shadowking of the Abyss, the Being of Chaos Incarnate, and Enemy of the Gods, Koh.' The Abyss swallowed the echoes of his voice in dreadful silence. Thereupon Zhāng-nán turned to La and pressed her to veil her face once more and so conceal it from his father, known as the Face-stealer. Said he: 'For it was thy brothers that gave him dominion of this place, and even thy power holds no sway here.'

"And thus did the Face-stealer come before La: white-faced, ruby-lipped, dead-eyed and peering from the depths of the Abyss. Only his face showed, only that corpse-mask that few look upon and live, but La did not shrink from him.

" 'To what does thy humble servant owe this honor?' asked he, though he knew well what she had come to ask.

" 'I would know the meaning of my dreams,' said she.

" 'Are there not seers among the Gods and Spirits aplenty to scry the secrets woven in thy visions?' asked he.

" 'There are none,' replied she.

"The Face-stealer smiled at her and said: 'Art thou prepared to pay the price I ask, bound by the Law of the Gods to obey?'

" 'By the Law that all Creation obeys, I am,' said she.

" 'Then tell me thy dreams,' said he.

"And so La revealed unto the Shadowking her visions. He then pronounced: 'Thy dreams are truly visions of things yet to come. Of these, the first is this: that the War of this Age shall end, and so too with it the Age of Gods and Spirits.

" 'The second is this: at the end of the Age of Gods and Spirits, there shall be a sundering of worlds. The Gods and Spirits shall inherit the least of these, and Man shall claim dominion of the other. For a time, these worlds shall be as kin and there shall be communion between them until the day the race of Men sever their ties completely with Gods and Spirits. Upon that day, Chaos shall consume both worlds.

" 'The third is this: that the Gods, to prevent this final day, shall sacrifice their bodies to create a bridge between worlds, and linger on in the world of Men as mere shadows of themselves. This sacrifice shall come to naught.

" 'The last is this: that thou, La of the Moon, shall die before this final day, slain by one possessed of a demon's heart. It is this, that shall come to pass, that hast filled thee with such terror of anticipation, for the day and the hour shall not be made known until it is upon thee.

"At this pronouncement, a dark wind from the Abyss tore away the veil from La's face, that her expression of horror be revealed to the Face-stealer. But La, the cold, pure Lantern of the Night, revealed no anguish unto him.

"And thus said she: 'For this intelligence, what price dost thou demand?'

"At this the Shadowking smiled once more and said, 'The child which now grows in thy belly and shall soon come into the world.'

"At this did La scream in helpless rage and the Face-stealer surged forth from the Abyss to claim her. Zhāng-nán came between his father and La, driving him back into the Abyss with his holy blade. 'Go!' said he to La, 'Go to thy lord, and never speak of what has passed here!'

"And so La fled the Godless Plain, though well knowing she could not escape her bargain with the Enemy of the Gods. From that day forth, Zhāng-nán ne'er walked beside her, for she dissolved the Oath that bound him to her and indeed forbade all Demons to be admitted into her presence, in fear of the Shadowking's fourth revelation.

"And so it came to pass that La gave birth to her child. Forbidding her lord or attendants to approach, she swaddled it in glistening white funeral shrouds woven from her hair, finer than silk and wet through with her tears. From without her chambers came a loud outcry, for Zhāng-nán had suddenly appeared in the Tui's palace beneath the waves, where he had forever been barred entry. Gods, Spirits, and Demons, the whole of the court of the Seas and even their Lord, Tui himself, assembled to cast him out.

"But Zhāng-nán passed them all by without heed. None, not even Tui, could raise their hand against him, for he had been sent to fulfill the pact made between La and his father, to claim La's newborn child for his father. And so it was that he entered La's chambers and stood before her.

" 'In the name of mine father, Koh, under the authority of the Law, I claim the child of La,' spoke he, 'Do not refuse.'"

"La regarded him with cold eyes as she cradled her sleeping child to her breast and spoke: 'For mine own thoughtlessness, Koh punishes the innocent. I have prepared this nameless child for the grave thy father intends for her. How can the Law be so cruel, that _thou_ shouldst stand there and claim her from me?'

" 'I am not the Law, merely its instrument,' replied he, extending his paw, 'La, in the name of Koh, give me the child.'

" 'In the name of Koh,' spoke she, drawing the child from her breast, 'take her and be damned.'

"And so Zhāng-nán took the nameless girl-child of La in the name of the Shadowking of the Abyss, in accordance with the contract between La and the Shadowking spoken before the Gate of the Abyss.

"Then Zhāng-nán fell to one knee before La and bowed his head. 'In the name of Milady La of the Moon, consort of Lord Tui of the Seas, the Changing-Silver-Lantern-of-Heaven, and the Guardian of Night, I, Zhāng-nán, Firstborn of the Demons and Prince of my Race, swear by my horns that I shall shield her from Koh's malevolence with my life. By this Oath, I beg thee to bind my will to thine by Blood and Power,' said he.

"Accepting his Oath, La bade him to steal the child away, to find some sanctuary to secret her from the minions of the Abyss and the Gods alike. Zhāng-nán went in secret to the Spirit of Knowledge, Wan Shi Tong, He Who Knows Ten Thousand Things and who is beholden to no god. From him Zhāng-nán learned of this island, shielded from the eyes of the Gods and their servants. And so to it he came and gave the child into the care of the island. This charge undertaken, Zhāng-nán went thenceforth into the world, to keep the child's sanctuary hidden from all that might seek her.

"… And so it was that Zhāng-nán, out of love for La of the Moon, became the "God-stealer," for none but La knew he had taken the child by her will..."

* * *

**A/N: **Next week, I post Zhāng-nán's backstory as an addendum to _Fall of the Blue Spirit._ Plz 2 b looking 4ward 2 eet.


	30. Of the Bonds of Fate: Logos

_**Tales of the Spirit World: Fall of the Blue Spirit**_

Part XXVIIi: **Of the Bonds of Fate: Logos**

* * *

"LIES!"

"Yǎn-sui, no!"

Yǎn-sui stopped short, held in place more by the power of Jiān's command than any personal restraint. Flames sputtered and died in his maw, singing his tongue. Jiān's fingers twined with his, his claws curling over her hands in response as she pushed them down to his sides. The frantic war-drum beat of his heart slowed, giving him time to recover himself.

"Mine father does not lie, demon," Oh ground out, "Speak such foul accusation again, and this one will…!"

"Stop it, Oh!" Jiān snapped coldly, turning to the spirit, "How _dare _you talk like that to him, after _you_ li…!"

"My daughter only obeyed my will, Jiān," Hái-dǎo interrupted curtly.

"Then why did you tell me my mother abandoned me?!" Jiān demanded, her voice trembling with betrayed anger, "For years, you've let me believe my parents didn't care, that they never wanted me! Why didn't you tell me it was _Y__ǎ__n-sui's_ father who had brought me here?! Oh, you recognized him that first night, when you called him the Blue Spirit, why didn't you tell me then? Why?!"

Oh bowed her head in acknowledgment. "This one thought to protect thee," she stated gravely, without hint of pride or shame.

"My daughter never lied to you," said Hái-dǎo, before Jiān could speak again, "When Zhāng-nán took you away to hide you from the Shadowking, your mother gave you up for dead, for that was what you had to be to her in order to escape his grasp. Zhāng-nán himself charged Oh to do what it would take to keep you here, safe, protected. It was for this reason alone that Oh did not drive away the humans who settled on my island, for she saw how happy you were, indulging your curiosity in their novelty."

"Humans are _not_ a 'novelty' to me!" Jiān shouted, and this time, it was Yǎn-sui who restrained her, his paws on her shoulders as she swept her hands through the air, gathering droplets of water, "They have taught me so much! Each one of them, they live so fiercely, _they_ don't hide away in cowardice and despair, decrying the Gods' war and doing nothing abo-…!"

"Clearly, associating with low creatures has made you forget your manners. Speak no further, Jiān, if you have any gratitude for what I have given you!" rumbled Hái-dǎo, the ground beneath their feet trembling with the god's irritation.

"Hey, seems to me she doesn't owe you anything!" Rinzen exclaimed, holding on to one of Lhamu's horns for balance as the tremors subsided. "If you're really Jiān's 'guardian,' and I'm using the term loosely here, why in the name of Rabten's balls have you let demons run amok on this island? They intend to eat her, did you ever think about that?!" Lhamu added an emphatic snort, showing her flat teeth at Hai-doa in a grimace of disgust.

"I promised Zhāng-nán that I allow her to live here, and that my daughter would not allow her to stray from my domain," Hái-dǎo replied laconically, "I have no care for this War, for Gods or the Shadowking, for it is inevitable that Chaos shall consume this world. My only concern is to keep my own peace until the end time and I gave up my physical form to achieve that end.

"Only by a faint stirring of pity did I permit the child of La to remain, pity and Zhāng-nán's own promise that _he_ would undertake her protection, if and when the spawn of the Shadowking discovered her." Hái-dǎo shifted his gaze to Yǎn-sui. "I told him, in reply to the tale he related to me, that his love, being the impossible love of a demon for a divinity, would only invite hate, in the manner of your kind. His reply was, 'If I love, it will destroy me. This child will bring life and hope. I bear the death and despair, and so maintain the precious Balance you Gods are beholden to, in this form or another.'" His dolorous dark eyes fell upon Jiān. "I knew then, seeing you asleep in the palm of his paw, no matter his promise, that your life would invite destruction, and that I would bear a terrible price for my generosity."

"You did not promise to protect her, so when demons who serve no god came to this island, you did nothing to stop them." Yǎn-sui crouched on the ground, hackles raised and eyes fixated on Hái-dǎo with hatred like ice-cold poison lancing through his veins. "It is the Nature of Demons to devour and destroy, but you… _you, _a God, commit the most loathsome and malignant act by surrendering one committed to your sacred charge to the depredations of the Abyss!" He touched the hem of Jiān's dress with trembling fingers. "Jiān, give me command, and let me dispatch him to Oblivion in your name."

Oh threw herself between Hái-dǎo's stone and Yǎn-sui. "Zhāng-nán! By the vow thou hast made, speak to him!"

The fallen halves of Tiào-fěi trembled and leapt into the air, arcing high into the sky before they fell to earth like two bolts from the heavens, impaling the ground where Yǎn-sui's paws had rested only a split-second before.

"Tiào-fěi…" Yǎn-sui gasped as the blades hummed with killing intent, "Father, why…?"

"You would do well to heed your father's reprimand," spoke Hái-dǎo, "I know not by what trickery you managed to murder him, but the mere fact that you possess his horns means you are fated to carry out the duty for which you so excoriate me."

"… 'fate'?" Yǎn-sui echoed in a ghost of a whisper.

Oh looked down the length of her squat snout at him, amber eyes coolly reproachful. "This one hast seen thee in battle. Were it not for the protection and higher purpose of thy father's lingering soul, thou wouldst have been defeated the moment thy foot touched the soil of mine father's land. Struggle and deny if thou must, but thou art bound by Fate even more surely to Jiān than by the owing of debt for thy miserable life."

"What are you saying, Oh?" Jiān demanded, anger cut through with confusion and dread, "Yǎn-sui being here, my binding him… what his father did had nothing…!"

" 'Nothing', yes!" Yǎn-sui reared up, thrusting away from Jiān, baring his fangs at Oh and Hái-dǎo, "How skillfully you play with Truth, Earth-god! You dare to pronounce me bound to this… the abandoned waif of La, mate of my Lord Agni's foe, by my father, by his will even before I broached the darkness of the Abyss?! All because of his supposed madness for La?! You lie! My father did not… would not… _Fate_ has no power over me!" Flames spurted from his maw and licked about his claws; his heart pounded too fast to count the individual beats and the world seemed to swim and whirl with crimson and black.

Jiān reached out to him, wide eyes alight with alarm, and again, he shied from her. "And you… you are nothing to me! Nothing beyond a debt I owe! I was never _meant_ to protect you, I was never _meant_ to be your slave! My father did not die so that I would fall into a trap set by Fate to save you! _He died so that_ _I could kill __**Him**_!"

With a roar that unleashed the scorching blue-white demon flames of his fire-breath, Yǎn-sui turned and galloped down the mountain.

'_This cannot be! This cannot… NO, NO, __**I REFUSE TO BELIEVE IT**__! Father, you told me… that was the reason, __**to kill Koh**__, to keep him from devouring this world, to free our race, so why… WHY WOULD YOU LIE TO ME?! Is everything, all that I've thought and felt and done for her, is it all a lie, was I just your puppet and was none of this my own will, that she…?! __**WHY DID YOU LET ME KILL YOU IF NOT TO LET ME LIVE FREELY?!**__ Was I right before, was she only toying with me, knowing all along as she played with pretending I was not a slave, did she lie, did she laugh at me all this time, all this time that I believed that I…?!'_

"**Y****Ǎ****N-SUI, STOP RIGHT THERE!**

Again, the bond of command reined him in, detaching his body from his will, freezing him in place as his master approached. He realized belatedly he stood beside Jiān's headwater. _'Where did you stand, Father, when you placed her in there? Did you give her the name she wears, or was it Oh? What did you have with La that you let yourself be hunted down as a traitor in order to…?!'_

A flash of white and black and crimson before his eyes jerked him out of his recriminations. Jiān glared up at him, her body trembling with anger that made the waters of the pool beside them surge and splash like a sea in a storm. His father's Marks blazed like awakening coals against her skin. "How?!" she said, her voice steady, cold, ice long-frozen by winter. "How did she do it?"

"I do not understand milady's re-…"

"DON'T YOU DARE CALL ME THAT!" The headwater roared, whipped to a frenzy, showering them with liquid ice. "Let me repeat the question so you can understand: my mother severed the bond between herself and your father. I want to know how she did it."

Yǎn-sui stared at her, not understanding. "Milady…"

"**STOP IT!**" Jiān shouted, swiping her hand across her face as shimmering liquid spilled from her eyes over her cheeks. "Stop it, please, just stop…!" she begged, her voice breaking. She shook her head, buried her face in her hands. "Just tell me what I want to know, Yǎn-sui," she continued, voice hollow and cold, "Just tell me and stop pretending that you respect me, that you want anything to do with me! You don't have to anymore, believe me!"

'_Is she saying that she wants…?!'_ Betrayal, bitter and sharp, lashed out. "Mi… Jiān, you wish to throw me away?"

Jiān whipped her hands away from her face, eyes wide and mouth open in shock as though he had just struck her. "'Throw you away'?" she gasped, "What makes you think…?! I want to set you _FREE_, you self-righteous **ass**, I want you far away from this island, from my people, from _me_! Don't you see?! This whole time I've kept you here, you've hated it, because it was never something you wanted! I thought it was your pride, and I thought I could… that I…!" She turned her back to him, laying one hand over the headwater, exhaling; the waters immediately stilled, turning once more to an obsidian mirror.

"I'm so, so very sorry, Yǎn-sui," she said bleakly, "You've been right this whole time: you've been my slave and I've been your master. You've been beholden to my will since we met, just like you said. I had no right to call Oh a liar, when I was lying to myself."

She folded her arms around herself, raised her head to the sky where the new moon voided a circle of stars. "I asked Oh, once, what my mother and father were like. She told the truth, she said she didn't know, and took me to Hái-dǎo. _He_ told me about the War, how the Gods fought over petty jealousies and used Spirits and Demons like pawns. I didn't want to be like that, someone who uses others like they were tools. I didn't want to be like him, either, hiding away with my head buried in the earth, waiting for it all to end!"

Without warning, she turned and laid her forehead against his chest, her cool breath tickling his skin. Calm flooded him, a sense of… _'Completion. __** She**__…?!'_ Desperately, he clawed for familiar, reliable anger, but found it escaped him like a will-o'-the-wisp.

"I thought I was different," she confessed, unaware of the change in him. "But, really… I only fooled myself into thinking that if I just treated you the way you deserved to be treated, I could change that, make you… _want_ to be here, to want to help my people… I even thought you might want… to be with me. Now…!" she laughed, a dark, self-mocking chuckle that nearly became a sob, "… now I know. It was all a lie. My whole life here was built on a lie! Your father lied to you, trapped you, threw you at my feet and, like a heartless pawn, I bound you to my will so you could not escape the Fate you deservedly hate so much!"

'_But you didn't.'_ The thought whispered, tugging at him, needling him. _'She didn't.'_ Louder now, more insistent. Helplessness, rage, confusion… rose, ebbed… vanished. It spoke with all the authority of Agni's eye burning though the dark of his being:_ 'If she was a hypocrite, heartless, malicious… she would have bound me to her alone, not her people. Every time, every time I tried to force her to act like a goddess, like my master… she refused. I fought, I've disdained, I've defied her at every turn. I… __**I**__ played the fool, __**I**__ was my father's puppet, __**I**__ invited Fate to make me a mere tool.'_

It hit him, a lightning-bolt of realization that that made him want to roar and laugh at the same time. _'Father only bound __**himself**__ to her - he only needed me to deliver the Tiào-fěi, his horns, into her hands, and he alone would have protected her! But… she saved my life instead. If anything, __**she **__has tried to break the trap, __**she**__ has acted against all the forces of Fate and other's will, __**she**__ would set me free...!'_

"Yǎn-sui, tell me. How do I break the bond of your life-debt," she said in a voice drained to a murmur.

"Jiān…" It was not her command, but his arms moved anyway, encircled her shoulders, her waist. She gasped, pushed away, eyes darkening with sorrow and anger.

"What are you doing?" she rasped, "Don't!" Yǎn-sui strained against the bond of her will, felt bones creak and muscles tear, but it did not matter, he _had_ to reach her, tell he understood now, had to stop her before she…!

"Stop! Stop it! _Stop_!" Jiān shrilled, panicked as Yǎn-sui retched blood, fighting with every fiber of his being to overcome the command that kept him rooted where he stood. "That's it!" she gasped, "That's all I have to do, isn't it?"

"Jiān, no!" he barked as she evaded his desperate attempt to grab her hand.

"Yǎn-sui, Demon General and servant of Lord Agni of Heaven's Flame, I, Jiān of the River, release y-…!"

"Please," he whispered, his paw over her mouth, his arm around her waist to keep her from escaping, from speaking the words that would set him free, "Please, Jiān. I know now. I don't know how I know, but I know. I _want_ to be with you. I want to fight beside you. _Please_."

Cool rivulets from her eyes trickled over his paw as she shook her head. "You're only saying this because you _have_ to say it," her lips mouthed against his palm.

"Maybe. Maybe not. I can't know and neither can you. But I do know this: that if I do not make my stand beside you tomorrow, if I run away like you want me to, abandon you and your people… I would be better off facing the darkness of the Abyss for the last time than live out my days as Lord Agni's right hand." He bowed his head over hers, drawing on the calm certainty that filled him as he touched her. "Fate be damned. I _choose_ to stay beside you. That is," he amended, stroking his thumb over her cheek, "if milady will have me."

For a long time, she was silent, still, but Yǎn-sui sensed it was a deceptive serenity, the placid face of a river where a ferocious current flowed just beneath the surface. What was she thinking? Why was she hesitating? He had assumed his word would be enough. _'Is she so committed to the idea of defying Fate that she doubts my intention?'_ He tried to be stung, angered by this, but had to admit that he had flung those exact same aspersions in her face only just before. It was torment, suspended in Limbo, waiting for her to reject or accept him once again.

"Yǎn-sui…"

He tensed, ready to clap his paw back over her mouth if she should try to speak the severing Words again.

"Tell me about your father. Tell me what you learned of him, when you met him, why… what it was like, when you killed him. Tell why he passed on his promise to you, his killer."

"Jiān?"

She curled her hand over his paw, drew it away from her mouth, and slipped out of his grasp as easily as quick-silver. "Tell me about Zhāng-nán, who tried to save me because he loved my mother, and marked me with these," her fingers touched briefly over the Signs, "for the same reason. I want to know." Her face was blank, unreadable, her voice unremarkably cold as a featureless snow plain.

He bowed his head and fell to one knee before her. "As mil… as you command, Jiān…"

* * *

**A/N: **I don't know whether even I consider Hái-dǎo a coward - he is the ultimate fatalist, embittered by his circumstances, which he shortsightedly applies to everyone and everything else. I would have loved to spend much more time on Hái-dǎo's character, but that would have distracted from the main story.

Seeing as Yǎn-sui's basically going to spill a big 'ole hunk of exposition on Jiān's order, I figured it would be wise to split the chapter in two at this point. Please note that the next chapter WILL NOT be considered a "narrative" chapter, thus not a part of the "official" legend of the Blue Spirit and the Painted Lady. (Important plot point is important, kthnxbai)


	31. Of the Bonds of Fate: Eulogy

_**Tales of the Spirit World: Fall of the Blue Spirit**_

Part XXVIIii: **Of the Bonds of Fate: Eulogy**

* * *

"I first learned that I had a father when He summoned me from the place where unnamed spawn consume each other for sustenance, into His presence," Yǎn-sui began, "Before then… I existed. Merely that. Hunger was constant, and perhaps Pain, but in that place, where Self and Time are meaningless, I was not aware of Fear.

"Looking into His face that first time, I learned there was Other. He was not Food. He was not Me. Of the latter Idea I had only the vaguest concept, having defined my existence solely by the former. And so when He spoke to me, I at first did not understand, having never heard another's Voice or Words before. But He did not relent, pouring down upon me a torrent of Words that woke in me thousands upon thousands of Others, until I thought I would be consumed in the flood. By His mere Voice, I learned Fear.

"He must have seen it in my eyes, for He ceased speaking and waited. To this day, I do not know what exactly He waited for, but I do know that He had not expected my first Words:

"'Why am I here?'

"He stared at me for a long time – I had learned Time, between the Words and the Silence. I preferred the Silence, for it was what I knew before the Words. But He interrupted the silence and spoke again, and this time, I understood:

"'Of all the things to say when you first learn to Speak, such an interesting and impossible Question to answer,' He said. He struck me across the face so that I crashed into the hard shell of His segmented body, dark as the darkness, Pain drowning out all else for several moments. 'For now, that will suffice,' He told me, 'You are here because I allow you to exist, to follow my commands. My will is your life.'

"'But who are _You_?' I asked, boldly, stupidly.

"'Inquisitive child, aren't you?' He asked in return, impaling me through the stomach with the same limb He had struck me with. I do not know what He was thinking, if He was amused, or angry, but I learned to tell Time in Pain, so long did He let me lie there and redouble the agony with my own vain struggles. 'But perhaps that, and your stubbornness, will prove useful.' He withdrew His limb. 'Something as small as that, you'll heal quickly.' He spoke the truth: the wound closed, the pain went away, and I stood, ready to defend myself against another attack.

"He told me his name. 'This is what I will for you,' He said. The limb He had pierced me with separated from His body, falling at my feet. Before my eyes, its shape changed, shrinking, growing flatter until one edge became even sharper than the point. Opposite the point, it rounded, becoming dull. 'Take that to my elder children. They will teach you how to use it. When they are satisfied with your skill, you will fulfill your Purpose.'

"I took up the former limb and knew it for what it was: a Thing that dealt Pain, a great, terrible, final Pain. 'What is my Purpose, that I should use this?' I dared to ask of Him, in awe of the Power He had bestowed on me.

"'He spread his lips and made a noise I now know to have been laughter. 'You are a slow learner, my child. Others will correct that in my stead. But I will indulge your curiosity this once.

"'Your Purpose is to execute my traitorous Firstborn, your father.'

"I learned to fight and kill from demons who had been raised from the place of the nameless and been given names by their various masters, the Gods. They had returned, on their masters' orders, to replenish ranks decimated in the War. Among these, my father was well known, as was the story of his crime. Away from their masters, they all praised him for his power and daring, in stealing the spawn of a goddess. In the same breath, they cursed him for keeping the divine power and not submitting to his due punishment. When I tried to understand _why_ such things could be, I was beaten, for failing to learn that most important lesson of being a slave: a slave never seeks to understand what is, for a slave can only accept that it is.

"When I had learned all but this lesson, I was deemed fit to enter His presence one last time.

"Our meeting was brief. 'You are the Last,' He said as I bowed before Him in armor crafted from His carapace. 'You will enter the world. You will search without ceasing. You will find him. You will kill him.' And so I passed through the Gate.

"The first sight of the World beyond the Abyss was that of Lord Agni's eye descending from the heavens, enflaming the western sky. I had never seen such colors and the violent beauty of it frightened and fascinated me, but in a way wholly different from Him.

"For many days and nights, I hunted for some clue as to my father's whereabouts. I passed through the world as a phantasm, unseen, unheard, but always seeing, always hearing. The Abyss, that place of darkness and pain and void, began to fade into memory."

* * *

Yǎn-sui paused in the midst of his tale, wondering at the flood of words Jiān's order had loosed from his mouth: it was as if he spoke from a dream, the twilight dream of his past, the smells, sounds and images of those distant days crowding in on him, anxious ghosts, demanding to be recognized and acknowledged. Taking a deep breath, he continued:

* * *

"On a waning crescent moon night, where the runoff of snow-capped mountains plummet over sheer foothills in waterfalls to feed the Mirror Lake, I at last came upon him. He crouched at the foot of a waterfall, seeming to fade in and out of the moon-painted plumes of mist, his back to me as he stared up at the sliver of La's lantern.

"Seeing him, smelling him, knowing who he was… what He had placed on me in the shadows of the Abyss, my sole Purpose, suddenly became real to me: I would inflict the final Pain on this being, that which is called Death. He would be reduced to nothingness and shadow, while I would live on. I trembled with anticipation, gripping my weapon, eager to unleash the Power within it. I felt as though it would fly from my paws on its own will, propelled by the desire for my father's death, lusting for the final ebbing throb of his heart as I tore it from his body.

"He heard me or smelt me or in some other way sensed my presence, for he whirled around suddenly, the golden dagger of La flashing in his paw. 'Come out, worm, and face me properly,' he growled. I thought that I could feel his gaze burning through the boulder I had taken shelter behind.

"I had been warned against acting on the elation of bloodlust, against this, the demon among demons. I forced my body into some semblance of calm and moved out of my hiding place, into the moonlight. I met his eyes, those storied eyes that are mere slits of red in pitch black, red deeper than blood and burning with fire altogether different from that which Lord Agni claims. I looked into those eyes, and my excitement stilled, turned to vapors, vanished. Fear seemed to stop my heart and freeze the blood in my veins. The weapon I carried became lead, but I refused to let it go, clung to it, seeking to invoke its Power to combat the Fear.

"He looked at me for a long time with those terrible eyes. I could not look away, for I knew that the moment I did, he would kill me. 'I see,' he said at last. 'So, my Father sends yet another victim to the slaughter.' He sounded annoyed, tired, as though I was a bothersome pest. 'What's your name, whelp?'

"'In truth, I am nameless; I serve no god,' I answered, forcing my voice through my fangs and heavy tongue, 'I am known as "Last."'

"'"Last"?' he demanded, sounding more surprised than angry, although the anger swiftly overshadowed the surprise. 'Be careful with that boast. I'm in no mood to play games.' Though he still held his dagger at the ready, his eyes became flat, disinterested, as if he had already sized me up and found me lacking.

"His anger, and more so his disregard, goaded me out of my fear. I embraced it, turned away the fear, and retorted: 'I don't play games, nor do I boast, Father.' In a fit of what must have been temporary madness, I demanded: 'What game do _you_ play, betraying your race?! Why did _you_ turn traitor, on your _own_ father?!'

"His eyes widened at my challenge. I was certain I was about to be killed. But instead of attacking, he began to laugh. It was the same sound of mockery He had made in the Abyss, but his sounded double-edged, directed against himself as much as it was against me. 'Ah, Father…' he muttered to himself, closing his eyes. Suddenly, he looked at me and grinned. 'All right, then. If you can put up a decent fight for a count of ten, I will acknowledge you as Last. One…'

"I was caught off-guard by the levity of his tone, and stood, stupidly rooted in place like a stunned hippo-cow as he charged, appearing behind me in the blink of an eye. I only just managed to block his dagger-strike with my weapon; that was my first mistake.

"'Two…' he counted, punching me dead in the chest with his free fist. The armor cracked and I went flying, landing flat on my back on sharp rocks just beneath the falls. Somehow, I kept hold of my weapon; pounded by falling water, I instinctively tried to recover my footing. That was my second mistake.

"'Three…' His paw clamped down on my head and I was yanked off my feet and hurled back up the way I had come, slamming, backwards and upside down, into the cliff-face. The rock crumbled around me and I slid to the ground, dust and pebbles raining down on me as I rose on my hands and knees.

"'Four…' I only just managed to dodge his foot as it came down at my head. I was angry, enraged, ashamed at how pathetic my untried skills were against his. I lashed out with my weapon, seeking to cut him off at the knee.

"'Five…' He easily avoided the blade and kicked me in the same place where he had punched me; the armor shattered and I went sailing through the air again.

"'Six…' This time, he didn't bother to wait for me to land, but leapt and followed me, lips curled in a savage smirk of victory. Weightless, suspended between sky and ground, I knew he had the absolute advantage. I knew I was dead, that with my armor in pieces, he could kill me a dozen times over before we hit the ground. _'Why? Why did I get this far only to fail?! Why was I even sent if he would so easily win?!?'_ I demanded as I felt the ground rushing up beneath me.

"'_**WHY?!**__'_ I roared at him as he thrust forward with his dagger.

"He paused, only for the most insignificant mote of time; we were so close, as we fell, that I saw the change in his eyes, wavering between bloodlust and something I did not understand. Instead of trying to block his still-descending strike, I grabbed his wrist, twisting it just enough that the blade bit into my right shoulder rather than my heart. I raised my other arm, my weapon still in my paw, trying to slash at his neck. But I was out of time.

"We crashed into the ground, his weight on top of mine collapsing rock and dirt into a wide crevasse, his dagger thrusting through and pinning me to the compacted earth. I cannot describe the pain that filled me then, utter, encompassing Pain, thousands of different points of agony falling down on as one me, pulling me into darkness so that I thought he had somehow broken through the earth itself into the nadir of the Abyss. The only way I knew that such an impossibility had not occurred was because I could see the twin embers of his eyes, staring down at me, watching me with an expression I could not fathom.

"I saw his lips move, and realized he was still counting. 'Seven…' I fought against the blackness, the threat of Oblivion, the Pain, I fought to rise, to live! 'Eight…' My weapon, still in my paw, but it was so heavy, heavier than the weight of his body on my chest, crushing my lungs. 'Nine…' I pulled at the dagger in my shoulder, plucked vainly at the paw that held it in place, writhed, fangs gritted, trying to at least bite him once before I died. 'Ten…'

"He stood up, jerking the dagger out of my shoulder, and crouched several feet away, still watching me. My first thought was that he wanted to kill me at his leisure; I thrust myself up on my elbows, flailing away from him until I collided with the crumbling dirt wall behind me. Still he watched me, saying not a word, immobile as stone. I stared back at him, confused – so confused, I forgot about the weapon still clenched in my paw. The seconds stretched on, like that Time in the Abyss, where He had punished me for my insolence. Only, this Time, the Pain receded instead of increasing.

"'Why?' I finally blurted, because the Silence demanded Words, and it was the first I could think of.

"He titled his head at me, his lips twitching. 'You say that a lot,' he observed, not unkindly, 'Don't you know that Word is dangerous for our ilk to utter?'

"I knew he was making fun of me, and the flare of anger at this mockery enabled me to sit up and glare. 'I've been told not to question what is, but I find it difficult not to,' I spat, daring him to do something about it.

"He did not laugh again, but said, 'Fair enough.' He examined his dagger, mottled with glistening black stains from my blood. He wiped it on his kilt. 'However, you're not nearly good enough to be flinging it about like that.' He cocked his head, for I had apparently made some exclamation of protest. 'Ninety-nine of your elder brothers, sons of my direct line, I have slain before you,' he said, 'Each was better trained, more experienced, and most were stronger than you, possessing gifts granted by their divine masters, yet I killed them easily. Why do you think _**you **_are still breathing?'

"I had wit enough not to point out that he had spoken the same Word he'd warned me about. 'I don't know,' I answered bitterly, 'Because you wish to kill me later?'

"'It might come to that. Of course, you might just die on your own, the way you fight. The way you swing that _thing_ around,' he pointed a claw at my weapon, his lip curling in disgust, 'it's more in control than you are. _It_ has a purpose.'

"'I have a purpose as well!' I tried to stand up, but the Pain came back and I slumped against the wall, defeated. I learned Hate in that moment; I hated him, for his existence, for his Words, which so overwhelmed mine and exposed my weakness. 'My Purpose is to kill you!'

"His eyes narrowed to slits, and his voice became as cruel as His. 'Looks like you've failed in your purpose. What are you going to do? Die? That's all that's left for you now.'

"_'He's right,'_ I thought, suddenly emptied of everything, of anger, of hate, even of Pain, _'I've failed. My purpose has come to nothing. __**I**__ have come to nothing.'_ I looked at the weapon in my slackened paw, and had a sudden urge to turn it on myself, to let it pierce my heart and return me to the Time before Time, before I knew myself, where I had been nothing.

"But then another Voice spoke, one I had never heard before, or had heard many times before, but never acknowledged: _'Why?'_ There were two Selves in me then, one seeking the ease of death, the other defying it with a single word: _'Why?'_

"'I…' The word escaped my lips, silencing the confusing, quarreling voices, 'I don't want to die.'

"'Why not?' he asked softly.

"'I don't know. I don't want to die, because…' I stared through him, stared through stone, stared back into memory, and the voices became images: the first, the empty, dark unremitting nothingness of the Abyss, the other, the Question, the World beyond, the world of Gods and Spirits, Beasts and Men, all that lives and changes, dies and is transmuted. The first promised certainty, a single, undeniable Answer, His Answer. The other, Answers and Questions I had never imagined, but, perhaps… the Answer that was mine. I already knew He was not me; perhaps his Answer was not mine, either. _'If I die… if I become nothing, I can never know…'_

"'… because I do not yet know _**why.**_'

"I was unaware that Time passed in Silence, until he spoke again, and I saw that the moon had descended from the sky, now caught between dark and light, a prelude to the dawn. 'As I said, that word is too dangerous for us,' he said, 'We, Demons… we were never meant to question, never meant to enter the world as anything more than slaves.' He was speaking to himself as much as to me, his voice harsh with anger and the emptiness I know now as Despair. 'Our race is an abomination, a curse... better that we never breathed than been spawned without the will to disobey...' Suddenly, he stopped, his face contorted in a grimace of mockery, for himself, for me, for all existence. 'But that's my own opinion. Weak and unskilled as you are, Last, you're just stupid enough not to understand. Which means there's still a chance for you.' He stood, looking down at me, the first pale hints of dawn's light glinting on his horns. 'You were told your Purpose is to kill me. You have failed, yet you have not escaped into Death. You dare to believe you still exist for another Purpose. Very well.' He bared his fangs.

"'Go out into the World. Live. Suffer. Seek Knowledge where he is found. Question. Suffer Pain and Defeat and overcome them, so that when we meet again, you can demand answers of me.' He snorted, shrugging his shoulders. 'Or die trying, at least. But you're as stubborn as you are stupid, so I have no doubt we'll meet again.'

"And so he left me."

"I left behind the armor he had shattered, carrying only the weapon I had taken from the Abyss, which no longer seemed a living thing to me. I wandered. Many a time, when the emptiness of Despair overcame me, I considered accepting Death's answer, but then the desire to live, to seek, to meet him again as he had said, stopped me. I began to learn about the world, but each question answered only led to more questions, until I began to suspect I would never answer them all, or even find the Answer to my own Question. I suffered and witnessed the suffering of many, especially the suffering of my Race, the Demons, in their slavery. I began to despise them for their weakness, to hate the Gods who used them and kept them slaves.

"In time, I crossed the Great Desert and found Knowledge where he resides. Master Wan Shi Tong was reluctant, at first, to admit me into his library, but since I refused to leave, he finally relented. It was the Spirit of Knowledge who taught me to read and write, to learn from the records of the Races, and even more precious, the Law, what had come before as well as what was, and perhaps what even might become.

"In his library, I came to know Him as something other than the all-powerful being I had assumed Him to be. At this, I first began to grasp at the possible answer to my Question, my Purpose. My Race was enslaved, the Gods and Spirits our masters, who held sway over our existence and our oblivion. But who had given them this Power? Who was responsible for dividing us, making us weak, subjugating us? Who had separated male and female, made the latter the masters of the Abyss, the cruel Nightmares who enter the World formless and thus under no bond to any, in order to enslave us further?

"These thoughts troubled me. For many days, I left the library, wandering the desert, until at last, Master Wan Shi Tong sent his servants to find me and call me back. When I told him of my thoughts, he seemed to have been expecting them. He did not answer my questions, but instead, presented me with a single scroll.

"'This is something your father gave to me. I believe you were meant to read it.'

"And so I read, and felt as though my eyes had opened for the first time. My father, the Firstborn, had realized his own existence. He had passed on that legacy to his bloodline. But the Other, He who enslaved us the Gods for His own ends, had suborned that legacy, twisted it so that it had turned to the thing opposite of itself.

"I had found my Answer. I took my leave of the Spirit of Knowledge and returned to the Mirror Lake, where I waited for my father to return as he had promised.

"On the night of the new moon, eight days after I had kept the watch, he came.

"'What is your Purpose, Last?' he asked me.

"'To kill you,' I replied, 'For only when I have claimed your life, can I one day kill the one who sent me.'

"'Fair enough,' he said, taking out his dagger, 'If you believe that is your Purpose for living, then you'd better not half-ass this fight.'

"'But I must know,' I interjected, 'why did you choose to make this your end?'

"'One day, you'll figure it out,' he said from behind me.

"Our battle leveled hills to plains and altered the courses of rivers. Time became meaningless, as did Pain, until at last, we parted, both gasping for breath, our blood poisoning the ruined earth. 'Better end it now,' he said to me, 'You're practically dead on your feet.'

"'But you're already dead on yours,' I retorted, and struck."

* * *

Yǎn-sui fell silent. The ghosts of memory were pressing him too closely; he half-expected to see Koh's sword in his paws, blood streaming from his naked body, to see his father standing before him. But it was Jiān standing there, Jiān marked with his father's Oath, Jiān who had summoned these whispering fragments of memory from him until he was no longer quite certain whether he stood in past or present. He sucked a quick breath of dew-cooled night air into his lungs and spoke again:

* * *

"His head… fell to the ground at my feet even as my weapon became dust in my paws, swept away on the wind. Behind me, his body collapsed and was still. I stared down at his disembodied face, turned to the heavens, not yet realizing.

"His voice escaped his gaping jaws in a whisper. 'Good for you, Last,' he said, 'You've taken the first step. I'll be watching.' Before my eyes, his head altered shape, eyes, skin, mane peeling from their place, scattering in the breeze like so many fragments of parchment and motes of dust. Bone cracked, his bare, grinning skull dividing into halves, telescoping into his horns, his exposed brain and tongue dissolving into sand. I heard the skitter of metal over dirt and my father's dagger flew to join the changing bones and horns. Blade and hilt alike divided themselves between horns, which now resembled swords, gilt with gold and blood.

" _'"You'll need to replace your weapon, after all,"'_ I heard him say. I took up the twin swords, still resonating with his presence. I was not surprised to see that the rest of his corpse had crumbled, but one thing remained: his heart, the faintly pulsing, dying organ leaking dark blood from a wound I did not remember inflicting on him.

"_'"Take it to Him as proof, though I doubt he'll need more than the color of your mane.'_ I picked it up in a daze, unaware that my mane had indeed changed from white to black. The way to the Abyss opened around me."

* * *

Yǎn-sui studied the ground. "I gave Him my father's heart. He did not ask how I had accomplished my task, for it was not important to Him. I declared I would serve Lord Agni, when He saw fit to release me into the world in the customary manner of my Race, for I remembered the dawn I had first seen and believed that I would grow strongest in his service. He consented, and in time, I bore my father's horns as swords in the service of the Heavenly Flame. But always, always… I remembered my true Purpose, and the reason why my father had allowed me to kill him. Or at least…" His eyes raised themselves to hers, "I thought it was why. Now, maybe, I see the truth."

He bowed his horns, touching his browplate to the ground at her feet. "So ends what I can tell of my father, whom I killed. Is it to your satisfaction, Jiān?"

There was a whisper of movement, of silken shrouds sliding over each other and skin. He started slightly at the touch of her fingers on his shoulder. "Raise your head, and look at me," she commanded.

Yǎn-sui obeyed, certain now from the coldness of her voice that she would discard him. He had killed one who had sacrificed his life for hers, in defiance of Koh – how could he measure up? He had been meant to be her tool, nothing more, yet he had stumbled into a story that was not his and never should have been – his father had never promised him anything other than to watch. He had left Yǎn-sui with only the illusion of choice. Yǎn-sui knew he should hate his father for the deception, but it made no difference; he would be forced from Jiān's side, at the cusp of battle, and would return to his own hopeless purpose…

"Yǎn-sui, look at me."

He silenced the voices of doubt, of anger and hate, and obeyed. Her eyes… they were lit from within, blue deeper than darkest flame, eyes of the deep sea that swallow the souls. He could not move as she stepped toward him, lowered her face…

… her breath mingled with his for one excruciating, exquisite moment, and then her lips, soft, cool, and tasting of the dew, closed on his. He could not move. He did not want to move. She touched his face, the pressure of her lips deepening. Her breath sighed into him as his lips parted, and his breath mingled with hers. _'Completion. She completes me,' _he allowed himself to realize for the first time. The defeat was bitter, and yet he drank it in, drank her in, her breath, her presence, _her_, Jiān, she who had defeated him. _'All that I am can only truly be claimed by you.'_

She leaned against him, his arms moving to hold her as tenderly as she held his face. If he had ever known the true Pain, what he felt from her touch must be its opposite, but he was still so ignorant of the world he could not define it. _'Between Earth and Heaven, Sea and Flame, I have discovered my center,'_ he confessed as they parted, to study each other.

"Yǎn-sui, I do not want you to leave," she said quietly, stroking the line of his browplate, "I also want you to be far away from here, because this battle was never yours, and you shouldn't have to depart from the path you've chosen." She bit her lip, bending so that her forehead rested against his, her eyes sliding closed. "I shouldn't hesitate, I shouldn't be confused, but I am."

"I'm here now, and I want to stay," he told her, "In a way, I'm not really straying from my path."

"How do you justify that?" she asked, pulling away to fix him with a hard stare.

His lips twitched into a smirk. "It's obvious He hasn't forgotten you or what my father did. I don't know what He's planning, but letting Him drag you into the Abyss strikes me as a grave strategic error on my part. Who knows what Power He intends to gain from you."

Jiān raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I see your point," she said drily, making as if to slip out of his embrace.

"Also, I doubt very much I'd ever be happy in a world where you no longer existed," he added.

She stared at him, stunned, then began to laugh. "At least you have clear priorities," she said, wiping moisture from her eyes with the back of her hand. "You wouldn't be much of a general if you didn't."

"You would be a much better goddess if you learned to command with authority, instead of relying on your faith in others to do the right thing."

"A goddess can rely on faith or authority or whatever if she wants: what's the point of being a goddess if she can't choose?"

"… Point taken." Yǎn-sui stood, reluctantly loosing her from his arms. Jiān, sensing this, smirked and took his paw in her hand.

"Ready to go back and apologize?"

Yǎn-sui grunted.

"All right, are you ready to go back and get your swords, at least?" Jiān said with a sigh and a roll of her eyes. "We can't very well abandon Rinzen and Lhamu to Hái-dǎo's company for very much longer."

"Why not?" he asked in mock seriousness. "Lhamu can easily fly him out of there when she gets bored."

"… Good point, but this is about courtesy," Jiān informed him primly, although he could not help but notice she made no move to start walking back up the mountain.

"Jiān, I…" She looked up at him, tilting her head at the strained note of his voice. _'Stop trying to make excuses to have her to yourself! There's a battle to prepare for!'_ Yǎn-sui shook his head, annoyed with himself. "I think I might know how to control lightning now," he said.

Her eyes widened and she squeezed his paw. "Really? How? It just came to you, all of a sudden? Why?"

He touched her cheek, feeling the tranquility flow into him just as her healing chi had done. "Yes. I was being an idiot before, not realizing the solution was right in front of me. You said it yourself, there should be a way for us to act as two halves of a whole. I…" He stiffened, suddenly aware of another's presence.

"Where are they?" Jiān asked tensely, her hand slipping from his paw in order to gather water from the pool beside them.

Yǎn-sui scanned the surrounding stands of bamboo, each stalk trembling in a deceptive dance of light and shadow that invoked the sensation of hundreds of lurking assailants. _'Nothing. Could I have imagined it?'_ No, that was wishful thinking; he could feel them now, strange, hostile eyes hooded by a hideous white mask, watching him, smirking at his bewilderment. "The time of truce has not yet ended," he said, mentally preparing himself to unleash his fire-breath, "If you wish to approach, do so openly and state your intention."

Silence greeted his challenge, silence and the hushed whisper of the wind soughing through the bamboo. And then…

A figure in white armor stepped into the clearing, lurid pink eyes gleaming within shadowed sockets. "I wish only to offer a delayed introduction," the soft, sibilant voice sighed from Koh's visage, "It is good that we can at last meet face-to-face, father…"

* * *

**A/N: **8D. HOLYCRAPYAN-SUI'SADADDY.


	32. Narrative:Of the Fall of the Blue Spirit

_**Tales of the Spirit World: Fall of the Blue Spirit**_

Part XXVIII: **Of the Fall of the Blue Spirit**

* * *

"… Having related the Truth bequeathed unto him by the Firstborn, the spirit of the Island of Sān Duō fell silent.

"And so replied Yǎn-sui, the Blue Spirit: 'Honored protector of this island, you have spoken of a Truth I have come to suspect. My worthy father, freed of the Shadowking's domination, saw what was good in this world, and did learn to love the Moon. But now I learn that I am designated the inheritor of his will. By these swords, his very horns, I have taken upon myself a sacred task to protect the daughter of La. I must indeed bow to Fate and not fail in my duty.

"'But to do so I must also take upon me my dishonor and my misfortune, for now I have realized that I love the sacred maiden and would foreswear the Glorious Heavenly Flame himself in order to serve her.'

"The maiden-goddess approached the Blue Spirit and embraced him sweetly. 'For mine own unworthy sake, do not thou speak of such treachery,' implored she, 'For indeed, I love thee, and wouldst not see thee betray the glorious Sun-God.'

"The Blue Spirit bowed and silently accepted her exhortation, but in his very heart, his desire and affection for the maiden decreed that any test of loyalty would turn him away from glorious Agni's favor. And so the Blue Spirit, Yǎn-sui, the greatest of all warlords among Gods, Spirits, Men, and Demons, fell from the grace of Heaven, into the entanglement of passionate love, from which he could ne'er return…"

* * *

"In due time, having exhausted the means by which he could seek out and eliminate the Blue Spirit ere the demon warlord revealed his treachery before the Heavenly Court, cunning Pi li fell once more into dark humor. His new power and influence in his glorious father's service only created surfeit of dread, for surely as high as he had been elevated, all the more would he be cast down to suffer the consequence of his schemes.

"It was that exquisite Yuhuan observed her lord's deep and secret distress, for she loved cunning Pi li with all her heart and from the eye of her heart, he could hide nothing. And so she approached him in their chambers and begged him to reveal unto her the cause of his despair.

"'Would that I could tell thee what weighs my heart like a mountain pressing down upon me,' replied he, laying his head upon her lap, perfumed by fire-lilies, 'But my burden is of my own creation. Should I tell thee, thou wouldst have to choose between loyalties, and suffer much for the choosing.'

"'But Yuhuan would not be swayed by his warning, and insisted that she would ne'er abandon him. 'If I must choose even between thee and glorious Agni, I would suffer the direst punishment of the Law to stay beside you,' said she.

"Pi li was moved by her devotion, but still he turned aside her exhortations. Of all his consorts and concubines, he loved only Yuhuan, only she whose intelligence and courage and fidelity matched her beauty and grace. If he should fall from his glorious father's favor, if it should be known that Yuhuan had shared his secret, then she would suffer his fate.

"'Do not ask me to impart this poison to thee, for thou art unstained as a sleeve of the purest white silk, and I would not see thy love of me tainted by dread and dishonor,' said he.

"'Dost thou believe that my love is so fragile, so easily unmade or stained, that knowing what is in thy heart wouldst defile me?' asked she, 'Then may my soul be turned black, may silk turn to steel, all for the sake of thee.'

"And so it was that Pi li realized the truest measure of her love, and could no longer deny her entreaties. He revealed his ambition, to rise ever higher in the Heavenly Court, to claim by cunning and guile that which he could not lay claim to by force of arms. And so he too revealed his bargain with the fell Lord of the Seas to eliminate the Blue Spirit, an enemy and obstacle to his stratagems. Finally, he related to her the circumstances of the Blue Spirit's ambush and escape, and his failure to determine his foe's death, even by his demonic agents.

"'For I must see his corpse and take his head as my trophy, ere I can once again look upon the world with an untroubled mind,' said he.

"Yuhuan listened with silence to her lord's terrible secret, and remained unspeaking for some time after he had finished. Finally, she spoke:

"'My lord, who art rightly famed for thy intelligence and cunning, has been bedeviled by his own cleverness and assiduous discretion in this manner. Thou hast exhausted but the abilities and knowledge of the Gods and the allies of the Heavenly Flame. There is yet another who may discover for thee where the Blue Spirit hath hid himself.'

"Amazed, Pi li bid her to tell him of this person, that he might that very night petition him for his aid. But Yuhuan instead insisted that she alone must act in her lord's stead, that his absence would be noticed and remarked upon by his enemies still in the Heavenly Court. 'I taxed thee to reveal unto me thy troubles,' she reminded him, 'Let me now be the instrument by which they are banished.'

"Pi li could but consent to his lady's will, and bid her to proceed as she saw fit. Yuhuan prepared for her secret journey, eschewing even a contingent of bodyguards and attendants. Veiling her presence, she descended from Heaven and came at once to the great Library that stands in the midst of the Sea of Desolation.

"Wan Shi Tong, He Who Knows Ten Thousand Things and posses all the Knowledge of the world, greeted her arrival with great pleasure. Yuhuan bowed to him and presented him the gift of a volume of poetry she had composed in calligraphy as exquisite as she...

"… And thus presently, she made known to him the intention of her errand: 'I desire to learn more of this world of Men, yet unsullied by the deprivations of this cruel War between the Gods, where all of Creation lives in the harmonious communion since lost but may yet come again...'"

* * *

**A/N:** So yeah - after a long hiatus, let's get going to the battle, shall we? 83


	33. Of Cold Fire upon the River

_**Tales of the Spirit World: Fall of the Blue Spirit**_

Part XXIX: **Of Cold Fire upon the River**

* * *

In the darkest hour before dawn, the mists gathered in the highlands spilled in a ghostly flood of chilling grey damp into the river valley. On the island in the midst of the river, the humans awakened to weirdly-stifled sounds and mysterious echoes. Imagined phantasms writhed always just outside the corner of the eye, inspiring greater terror for their refusal to meet close scrutiny. Families clustered together within the crude wooden walls of the fortification, huddled for warmth around spare meals of cold salted fish and cakes of pressed grains. Mothers soothed infants and younger children with furtive murmurs; the elder offspring stared out into the shifting gloom with wide, frightened eyes, watching their fathers and oldest brothers moving to form up their squads for the oncoming battle. These men, and certain women who had lost both husbands and children to the demons, moved with surety and purpose that did not quite conceal their own fears from the watchful eyes of those they desired to protect.

Seated on the headland above the wakening encampment, Yǎn-sui stared out into the shifting opaque mass of fog flowing over him, motionless but for the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. Sitting back-to-back with him, looking out over the island and the sea-bound current of the river, Jiān fretted with the fog, twisting and twining skeins of vapor around her fingers. "I gather and disperse it, over and over, but it just keeps coming! I'd say, 'At least it's not raining,' only I'm sure the skies would open up," she mentioned distractedly.

She was not expecting an answer, and thus startled slightly when Yǎn-sui said, "I would almost prefer rain to this… murk. Fighting an enemy you can't see is doubly-dangerous for these humans, limited and terrified as they are. In battle, anxiety can triple the enemy's strength before he even strikes."

Jiān exhaled, leaning back against him, turning her face so that her cheek rested against his warm, bare back. He had not noticed before, but they were breathing in tandem; though her breath was cool, it contained none of the dread chill of the shrouds enveloping them.

He sighed and leaned slightly back against her as well. "You are not worried about the fog, or even the humans."

"Mn, well, I have more confidence in everyone, including you," she stated matter-of-factly. She paused, her mood shading somber. "But what _he _said, back there… Tell me: how much of it was scare tactics?"

Yǎn-sui sighed again, looking down to his lap at Tiào-fěi, secure in its sheath and belt. He was once more guised as a human, and his hand on the hilts of the blades looked ever more frail and pitiful. "I believe he believed every word of it, and that they will all fight with the utmost conviction to achieve his goals," he answered carefully.

"Oh." The silence stretched almost painfully. "Then we have even better reasons not to lose today."

"Agreed…"

* * *

**Several hours previous:**

* * *

Koh… no, the one wearing Koh's face as a **mask**_ ( 'Only a mask!'_) inclined his head in deference to Jiān before returning his weird, cerise-tinted eyes to Yǎn-sui.

Dread scraped icy claws across the nape of Yǎn-sui's neck. _'His chi… even though I see him plainly, I question my eyes. Like the figment of a waking nightmare…'_ He moved ever-so-slightly forward, shielding Jiān, his gaze never wavering from the Koh-faced intruder. Jiān had the water to her back; she would have time to defend herself if the enemy struck. "I said to approach 'openly.' Remove that mask or leave."

"You would dismiss your son so quickly, father?" the Koh-face chided softly. The breeze stirred the shadows and the white mane framing the mask; the form beneath it, tall and gaunt within its pale reticulated armor, seemed to fade in and out of sight, like the flickering of a dying candle. "You don't even have the Tiào-fěi at your disposal."

"I doubt you're worth the trouble," Yǎn-sui rejoined scathingly. He braced himself for an onslaught of the _nothingness_ that had overwhelmed him the first time he had laid eyes on this enemy, but the Koh-face seemed content to follow the spirit of the truce. "The fact that you don't attack and break the truce means that you want very much to speak to me. And so you shall.

"But first, remove that mask."

The scarlet lips, nearly black in the shadows cast by starlight, curled into a knowing smirk. "As you wish," he said, clasping the pale facade with a pale paw.

The mask came away. Behind him, Jiān smothered a horrified gasp with her hand.

"You're the first demon to look me in the face without flinching, father." Lurid eyes gleamed sardonically in their pitch-filled sockets. "I'm touched."

Yǎn-sui forced himself not to shudder or look away. The… _thing_ in front of him, though he possessed horns which jutted from his temples in much the same way his did, could only loosely be called "demon." Pale skin, like that of a corpse bleached by sun and sea, stretched taut over the skull. Other than the dual-pointed crest surmounting his forehead and the abbreviated bone ridgeline of his brow, there was none of the face-plating characteristic of demons. His nose was a fleshy, puny, half-starved thing like those of humans; the black of his eye-sockets gaped in mere pockets of skin. Delicate, needle-point fangs, the incisors hardly longer than the rest, dimpled his anemic lower lip.

"If I may…" he spoke, the deep vermillion of his tongue grotesquely counter-point to his cadaverous color, "perhaps this mask is better after all, father?"

Yǎn-sui nodded, once, unable to restrain a sigh of relief once the Koh-face concealed the horror beneath it. He heard him, and smiled ever-more broadly, amused by his discomfort. "I must apologize. The… unique circumstances… of my breeding and upbringing marked me in more ways than one. I did not retain my mask to defy you, father. I thought only of sparing you and your master unneeded grotesquery."

Jiān stiffened. "It doesn't matter what you look like: he's your _father_!" she declared.

The intruder stared at her, stunned; Yǎn-sui had a brief, insane moment of wanting to roar with laughter at the sight of _**Koh**_, Lord of the Abyss, gaping at someone in utter shock. "Yes, thank you," he said, recovering his vaguely smug self-containment. "You've quite the naïve view of the world, but we can't hold that against you, can we, father?"

"No, we can't," Yǎn-sui replied brusquely. The horror beneath the mask could be ignored for the time being, for he dared not to blink, let alone look away from the intruder. It was frustrating, he told himself, choosing to ignore the repulsion that continued to pluck at him with insistent claws. What little chi he _could_ sense was vaguely familiar. _'Like His… like Koh's or the Nightmares… untainted by the Gods or Spirits, a thing changing, warped and twisted and darker than the deepest pit… malevolent…'_ His breath suddenly seized in his throat; it was so clear, so perfectly clear. "You are the 'Milord' Punga spoke of, the first time we fought," Yǎn-sui accused. Burning rage devoured fear and control as flame devours straw. "_You _were the one who stripped Hui of his horns. _You_ manipulated his corpse like a puppet, spoke from his mouth, blotted him out." His words were little more than incomprehensible, guttural growls through the thunder roaring in his ears; he was almost on all fours, his claws tearing at the earth as he fought against the urge, the _need_ to rip the Koh-face to shreds.

The wearer of the mask understood him at least. "I admit to all those things, father," he said, his voice grave, nearly apologetic. "There were reasons… but I fear it has quite embittered you against me, regardless."

"Quite," Yǎn-sui echoed, spitting out the syllable in a snarl. Red and black colored his vision; wrath was getting the better of him, playing into his enemy's hands. _'He wants me to attack… he wants me to expose myself, expose __**Jiān**__… I can't even tell if he's hiding a weapon of some sort – he's slippery enough…'_ He tried to drive the bloodlust back, rein it in with the deliberate calculation that had always served him before. But his emotions would not obey, rebelled against his will as if they acted by another's bidding. _'I… can't…!'_

"You've given us the courtesy of showing us your true face." Jiān's voice rang out, cutting through the vapors of his mind with the surety of honed blade. He sensed her move to stand beside him, her hand alighting on his shoulder, light, cool… calming. His wrath receded. "I respectfully ask you to give us your name as well. Or do you, having never served the Gods, have no name?"

_'She sensed it, too?'_ Yǎn-sui told himself he should not be surprised, and silently thanked Jiān for her stalling tactic.

The enemy bowed slightly. "I am Qiōng-míng, named by my mother, so that I might better serve Him."

"Your… _mother_?" Jiān echoed.

Yǎn-sui did not have time or inclination to puzzle out the tone of her voice. _'A male demon, raised and trained by Nightmares, master-less and yet master of other demons… what mad scheme is Koh weaving now?' _"That's an even bolder claim than any of the others made," he observed, standing straight. "What business do you have with my master, that you invade her valley and unleash rogues on humans under her protection? What business do you have with _me_, that you desecrate the corpse of my subordinate? How long have you squatted in the shadows, hiding away from combat, while your lackeys challenged me openly?" There was no denying the possibility that Qiōng-míng had heard everything that Hai-dao had told them, everything _he_ had told Jiān. _'If __**he**__ knows, then Koh must…!'_

"What is your Purpose here?"

The challenge rang through the clearing. The wind stilled, died; even the trickling of water from the pool down the mountain seemed muted by a pall of anticipation. Jiān's hand clenched his arm, whether to restrain him or to assure herself, he did not know.

"… 'Purpose'?" Qiōng-míng appeared bemused. "Right now… nothing more than to give you a chance to fulfill _your_ purpose, father." He held up his paw, his eyes flickering between Yǎn-sui and Jiān. "You know what it is, though you've been denying it all this time. You might even deny it now, though you know the full Truth of what has bound you to this goddess:

"Complete the Firstborn's task. Deliver the child of La to the Abyss, or die as he did."

* * *

"What I don't understand," Yǎn-sui growled, "is why he didn't just kill me right then and there. He had every right, no, _responsibility_ to! I freely admitted to planning treason against Him; other demons have been executed for less."

"Maybe he's just as honor-bound as you are. Maybe following the letter of the truce means as much to him as it means to you," Jiān said, her tone suggesting she was trying to convince herself. There was a pause. "Or maybe he wasn't sure he'd win, two-against-one. I don't think he was even carrying a weapon, unless he was hiding it in his armor."

"'Two-against-one'?" Yǎn-sui craned his head to look at her. "You would have fought him?"

Jiān's lips thinned to a severe line. "I'm going to pretend you didn't say that," she grumbled, poking him in the ribs. He flinched, half-humoring her, but her expression shifted back to pensive. "Yǎn-sui… how do you know he's even your son?"

Yǎn-sui stared.

"… Never mind," she said quickly, turning away and getting to her feet.

"You're upset," he observed.

"No, I'm n…! Yes. A little." She pulled at a lock of hair and stared over his head into the fog. "What was… his mother like?"

Baffled staring only seemed to displease her further. Yǎn-sui pretended to inspect Tiào-fěi as he phrased his answer. "I do know there is some form of hierarchy among the females. It is likely she is a powerful Nightmare, to claim him from the place of the nameless and raise him." '_A female who raised her spawn to serve Koh alone – what did she pass on to him? Highly advanced chi-control at the very least, the ability to manipulate the bodies, perhaps even the chi, of other demons...'_ The more he thought about it, the more terrifying Qiōng-míng became. "Other than that, I couldn't say."

It seemed to be Jiān's turn to stare, only she looked more horrified than confused. "But… you… she… weren't you…?"

Yǎn-sui felt a headache coming on and swore internally. _'How in Lord Agni's name am I supposed to explain demon mating to someone with __**human**__ sensibilities?'_ Why was he even bothering? Qiōng-míng was his son and the mastermind behind Anu and the others as well as the desecrator of Hui's corpse, beyond a doubt; everything else, _particularly_ how he came to be spawned, was irrelevant!

'_But it matters to Jiān.'_ "Females, as far as I know, take even less concern in raising their spawn than males. They exist to dominate, to control all that exists within the Abyss, for it is there that they have power. They are His daughters and His tools, extensions of His will, able to shift their forms as He does. Outside of the Abyss, they exist as malevolent shadows, hidden and hiding. They feed on terror, creating horrific visions in unguarded minds. They are Nightmares, terrifyingly beautiful or alluringly ghastly as they will. They mate with whom they wish, when they wish, mostly with males who have survived long enough to serve the gods. After I killed my father, He gave me over to them. I don't remember how many."

It might have been the fog, but something about Jiān's color seemed off. "That disgusts you?" he asked.

Jiān startled guiltily. "It's… not really my place to say anything, is it?" she replied. "I asked you to tell me. I can't get upset because you told me the truth. I just wish…" She sighed and crouched beside him, staring up at him in a way that made him more than a little uncomfortable. "Are you _really_ all right, fighting your son?"

"You bound me to eliminate the demons who attacked your people. Even if you hadn't, Qiōng-míng used Hui's head as his puppet and refused to fight me directly, two things I cannot forgive. Make no mistake, Jiān: I am eager to kill him." _'There's a slim chance he hasn't told Koh about you yet. Eliminating him and the others will at least cut Koh off from his most direct link to you.'_

"… I thought you'd say something like that." She sounded disappointed. Suddenly, she was very near, her cool skin warming where she pressed against him. Her lips were upon his once more, softly, then hungrily, sending his body humming as if caressed by Agni's cold fire. "I… give you one order today…" she said huskily, parting her lips from his only far enough that she could form the words. Her eyes were open wide, dark with a riot of emotion. "Don't die. Yǎn-sui, you must not die. Not for anyone or anything, not for me. Promise me this. Swear it!"

"… As milady commands, I obey," Yǎn-sui responded automatically, unable to answer any other way.

Jiān seemed to realize this; at least, she turned her face away, burying it against his neck. He felt trickles of moisture run down his skin. "I'm going to hold you to that; don't even _think_ I'll let you get away with a technicality this time!" She slipped out of his arms then, easily as mist and retrieved her hat from the ground. "They're manning the rafts now. I'm going down there and do what I can to help."

"The battlefield is yours to command, milady," Yǎn-sui intoned, rising to one knee and placing Tiào-fěi on the ground in front of him. He bowed his head. "To victory!"

She passed by him in a whisper of fog and shrouds, descending to the river in one leap from the crest of the headland. Yǎn-sui rose, staring down into the gloom where he imagined he could just make out her white form. _'I don't intend to die on purpose if I can help it. Why must she always put such obnoxious, unnecessary burdens on me?'_ he thought, growling in irritation.

_'"She does it because she knows you are one of those 'death before dishonor' idiots. Chaos, it's like an __**infection**__ among you spawn that go Fire-wise."'_

Yǎn-sui glared balefully at Tiào-fěi, affecting innocence in its scabbard. _'How do you know it isn't something I inherited from you? She __**is**__ La's daughter._

_'"Hardly. I dishonored myself a hundred times over, by any measure, fighting and surviving for her sake. I died for my own convenience, though I doubt you're smart enough to manage that."'_

Yǎn-sui snorted and swept up the swords. _'Says the madman. You have no grounds on which to lecture me.'_

Tiào-fěi shivered in its sheath, annoyed. _'"I'd rather be insane than stupid. If you die, for __**any**__ reason, she will not forgive you. And believe me, a goddess can hold a grudge."'_

He paused, about to sling the strap over his shoulder. _'If it keeps her out of Koh's grasp, it is enough. But do you think so little of me, Father, that you believe I will let my spawn kill me before I have dealt with Him?'_

"Master Yǎn-sui, forgive me; am I interrupting your meditation?"

Yǎn-sui fastened the leather strap across his chest as he turned to Lien. "No, I was just fi…"

Lien became oddly flustered under his stare. "We… that is, my generation, never had to fight in a war the way our elders did," she said quickly, fingers hovering just above the black band painted across her face, from temple to temple; twin, finger-length bars of white, outlined in black, slanted down her jaw. "But since we're fighting for our homes, they thought the symbols our ancestors wore into battle couldn't hurt." Once again, she had removed her headscarf, tying her long hair back at the nape of her neck with a strap of leather. Her dress had been exchanged for clothes of a fisherman: a simple, short-sleeved tan tunic tied with a sash at the waist, over baggy, black calf-length trousers.

"You look fierce," Yǎn-sui said, grinning. The war paint certainly brought out the fire in Lien's eyes, so that they seemed to gleam in the darkness with the desire to fight.

The young woman flushed and bowed her head, her bangs swinging over her face. "Speaking of clothes!" she exclaimed, stepping forward and abruptly thrusting a bundle of black cloth at Yǎn-sui. "Elder Yu wanted me to deliver this to you. It wasn't finished until after you and the lady-priestess and Master Rinzen went to the shrine. It was decided that sending the lady-priestess's champion into battle in nothing more than cast-off trousers would reflect poorly on us."

"Ehrm… I don't have a good record of keeping clothes gifted to me intact during combat, you know," he said, after shaking out the bundle to reveal a tunic similar to Lien's, albeit of thicker black cloth and much shorter sleeves, with Jiān's seal embroidered across the back. The scent of many different hands was upon it. "Women of several villages did this?" he asked.

"They pooled their thread and cloths, what they had," Lien explained. "That's why the colors are so uneven." Her cheeks were darkly pink, but at least she was looking up at him again. "Is that all right?"

"Yes. I am indeed honored," he replied hastily and, to his immense surprise, honestly. He unbelted Tiào-fěi and shrugged into the tunic.

Lien drifted closer to the edge of the cliff and peered down into the twisting mass of mist. "I suppose you've fought in many battles?"

Yǎn-sui cocked his head as he fastened the last clasp of the sword belt. "Hundreds."

"… Against demons?"

"Naturally."

"Then… are you certain we can win, today?"

The similarities in conversations unsettled him; he sensed that Lien was searching for something from him, but even Jiān was easier to understand! "If by "winning," you mean that the demons will be eliminated with minimal casualties, then yes. Even if humans aren't up to defeating demons one-on-one, there's enough of y… of us here to tip the scales."

He expected the conversation to end there, for Lien to bow and hurry back to her squad. To his surprise, the young woman straightened and looked up at him with searching eyes. "And after the battle, what then? I've heard you speak to the Elder, and what was said at the Council; do you really mean to _leave_ this valley… and the lady-priestess, after we kill the demons?"

"It is something I must do," he answered.

Lien inclined her head, her eyes guarded, piercing. "Does that mean… you don't _want_ to leave?"

"I…" The words seem to stick in his throat. _'I have no choice! It's not a question of __**wanting**__, after I kill my spawn and the rest, there is nothing that holds me here…_

_'… nothing?'_ And for once, it did not sound like his father questioning him, but his own doubts, his own desires. _'There's nothing I can do about it!'_ he retorted, balling his hands into fists. '_I must win the battle, I must leave the valley, I must return to Lord Agni… I must never see Jiān again, after this day…'_

"Master Yǎn-sui, are you alright?" Lien's hand rested on his arm, gentle, warm pressure against his skin.

Yǎn-sui dug his nails into his palms, slamming the door on his wild thoughts. "What I want or do not want is not the issue," he growled. "The enemy must be defeated, and I must return to where I came from."

Lien's hands slid into his and suddenly her head was resting against his chest. "What if you had a better reason to st…?"

A high-pitched scream of bloodthirsty laughter tore through the fog, the echoes resounding from every direction at once. Lien gasped and whirled around, flames flickering in her upraised palms. "What's…?"

The insane cackling grew louder and louder. Yǎn-sui could hear other voices joining in: the booming roar of a typhoon; the ear-splitting shriek of ice shearing against ice; the howl of flames ripping through the air. The cacophony trembled in his bones, reverberating agony in his sensitive ears. He instinctively clapped his hands over them, but flesh and bone proved an inadequate shield.

Lien, too, clutched at her head to block out the din. As the battle cries reached a final crescendo, she fell to one knee, apparently overcome. Yǎn-sui reached down and pulled her to her feet, but she pushed him away, her face pale beneath the paint, her eyes blazing with fury as she grimly held her ground.

The horrific screams and howls silenced as suddenly as they began, though the echoes continued to shudder the damp air. "They think so little of me that they resort to such a crude tactic?" Yǎn-sui snarled, pressing his thumbs into his ears to lessen the ringing.

"If they think yelling their heads off is going to scare us, they're wrong!" Lien's lips twitched in a feral, ecstatic sneer. "Listen!"

As if conjured at her command, the bugle of dragons rising to the skies sounded from below. Yǎn-sui slewed around, taken off-guard. "Listen!" she said again, hoarse with excitement. A great shout, hundreds of voices raised as one, crashed over the trumpets like a wave. The trumpets sounded again, winging high over the tumult, shouts of wild abandon interspersed with incoherent, rhythmic chants. Lien joined her voice with theirs, a high, ululating cry like that of a tiger-hawk on the hunt.

Swept up in the moment, Yǎn-sui opened his mouth wide, adding his own battle cry to the others: the roar of a bull-dragon over a defeated foe.

The braying of horns carried on, sometimes one, sometimes two or three together, brash, defiant, urgent. "I begin to see why Lord Huánglóng favors your people!" Yǎn-sui exclaimed. His blood sang and pulsed in anticipation for worthy foes and carnage. "Come, the dawn! Bring forth the enemy!"

A rush of wind parted the fog and a dark mass descended on the headland.

"Whoa, hey!" Rinzen protested, almost falling off Lhamu's head as Tiào-fěi flashed from its scabbard. Lhamu "hahrrn"-ed in agreement, glaring reproachfully at Yǎn-sui.

"Oh. You." Yǎn-sui, disappointed, sheathed his weapon.

"Didn't mean to let you down, Sunshine," the airbender grumbled with his customary early morning ill-humor; the shadows under his eyes gave the rest of his face a grey, washed-out look. "If I'd known you were being literal, I'd have sent the demon crew along with my salutations instead." He held a hand out to Lien, voice suddenly, oddly strained. "I can give you a lift back to your squad. Everyone else is in place already, and dawn's only a few minutes away."

Lien looked up at the saddle. "Xing, have you seen the demons yet?"

The boy's head popped into view. "No. Not like we can see anything in this sh- stuff, anyway."

"Lhamu is eyes and ears enough for all of you; follow her lead, and you will likely live to see tomorrow," Yǎn-sui said. He turned to Lien, as she climbed up Lhamu's foreleg. "Thank you for your people's gift, I…"

Slender arms twined around his neck and soft, feverish lips pressed against his. "Thank me when this is over, Yǎn-sui," she murmured. Before he could reply, move, or even blink, she swept up into the saddle and out of sight.

Yǎn-sui cocked his head, puzzled, then shrugged. _'She __**did**__ insist that I prove myself worth trusting.' _"Rinzen…"

"Yeah, I know, I got it the first dozen times; we keep Anu occupied as much as possible, take out his crossbow if we can, and try not to get killed," Rinzen interrupted curtly, jerking the reins around his fists. "Don't you think you'd better keep your head in your own fight, _General_?" Not giving Yǎn-sui time to retort, he whistled to Lhamu and the sky-bison lurched into the air.

Yǎn-sui shook his head after Lhamu vanished into the fog. _'I give up – understanding humans is hopeless. Thank Agni Lhamu's a sensible Beast.'_ He brushed the last traces of Lien's warmth from his lips and drew Tiào-fěi. Closing his eyes, he reached out with his chi, the granted fire within him growing as it sensed the approaching dawn. He breathed in, out, letting the fire flow through him like blood through his veins. _'Confer upon thy slave, Eye of Glorious Agni, the devastation of your incorruptible Fire, that I shall wreak judgment in thy Glorious Name. Grant that the Flame bestowed upon thy slave will, this day, consume the renegades, the blasphemers, the desecrators. Release unto me thy destruction, oh will of Heaven's Flame!'_

Shrouded in cloud and fog, dawn broke. The heavy thud of massive wings, a slow, dreadful tattoo beating the air, growing ever nearer, sounded high above. "_I invoke the Inferno!"_ Yǎn-sui roared, unleashing a towering column of bright blue-white flames, burning away the mists over the small island.

Something plummeted from the revealed sky, straight through the fire. Tiào-fěi blazed to life and met the massive blade as it crashed down. "What's the matter, Uutu," Yǎn-sui sneered up at the young demon between their crossed swords, "was the air so thin up there that you forgot how to summon your fire?" He side-stepped, swinging Tiào-fěi to topple Uutu into the ground.

The black-skinned demon flipped over the blades, landing in a crouch and thrust his pudao up at Yǎn-sui single-handedly with the speed of a striking spider-snake. _'Wha-?'_ Yǎn-sui ducked just enough to avoid getting his head split in two; one of the teeth of the pudao ripped through his left ear. He stabbed at Uutu with his right blade, but Uutu's reach was longer. The pudao plunged, nearly chopping Yǎn-sui's left arm off. He twisted his body away, the large blade carving the air over his torso and slamming into the ground.

Before Yǎn-sui could counter, Uutu swept the pudao to one side, to cut Yǎn-sui's legs out from under him. Yǎn-sui leapt and landed out of Uutu's range. _'No hesitation! No confusion!'_ "You've decided," he remarked to the younger demon.

Uutu charged. Yǎn-sui found himself hard-pressed to deflect the Uutu's strikes; he wielded his ridiculous weapon with one paw as if it was a dagger. _'I can't read his intent, I can't sense his anger! He's not even…!'_ Yǎn-sui dropped to the ground, rolled past and behind Uutu, tried to slice through his hamstrings. Uutu avoided easily and nearly decapitated Yǎn-sui before he could recover. He only saved his head by flinging himself out of the way, nearly falling over the edge of the headland in the process.

_'He should not be able to fight like this!'_ Yǎn-sui sprang to his feet, dirt and stones shifting and crumbling warningly under him. Far below, water roared and crashed over the shouts of humans cheering for their water-priestess; Jiān was more than holding her own against Punga.

Yǎn-sui scrutinized his opponent. Uutu had shed every last vestige of his uniform, even his ammunition belt. "What have you done with your father's horns?" he demanded. "Answer me!"

Uutu's only reply was to bring his pudao to bear for another charge. Yǎn-sui spat fire and whirled out of the way. Uutu seemed oblivious to the heat that seared his hide and ate away his mane, attacking again without pause. _'He feels no pain. He doesn't even bother to defend himself!'_ The answer came to Yǎn-sui. "Berserker." He caught the descending pudao, Tiào-fěi's crossed blades snagging the teeth and locking the blades in place. Uutu pulled at his weapon in vain, a mute snarl of frustration twisting his lips. His garnet eyes were shadowed, lifeless, opaque even in the glare of Tiào-fěi's flames. "No, not even that," Yǎn-sui realized. "You've given up everything, even the "freedom" you claimed. He's made you his puppet, just like he did your father!" Wrath engulfed him. "_**QIŌNG-MÍNG!**_" he howled, ripping Uutu's pudao out of his grasp and hurling it away into the fog beyond the headland. Uutu lunged at him, now-empty paw outstretched and fangs bared. Yǎn-sui sliced through the other demon's arm, severing it at the shoulder with dismissive slash. Uutu did not cry out, merely stared insensibly at the cauterized stump.

Sickened, Yǎn-sui raised Tiào-fěi. "Be gone," he rasped.

White flooded his vision and Tiào-fěi clashed on an obsidian blade. "You called me, I am here," Qiōng-míng said beneath his Abyss-born sword, the red, red lips of his Koh-mask curving in a dreadful grin. "But I can't let you kill him." His bare paw shot out, palm connecting with Yǎn-sui's chest. Numbness radiated through his body and he staggered backwards, Tiào-fěi's flames flaring weakly before they extinguished.

"What did you…?" But Qiōng-míng, and Uutu, had vanished.

"Yǎn-sui, look out!" Rinzen's shout came an instant too late: three iron quarrels slammed into his chest and shoulders, toppling him head-over-heels down the steep slope. He heard and felt Anu sweep low, following. Yǎn-sui buried Tiào-fěi into the scree, gritting his fangs as his arms were nearly wrenched from their sockets. Before he could regain his footing, the rocks turned to sand under him. Hau, shrieking with bloodthirsty laughter, fell on him, claws ripping into his back. Yǎn-sui snapped his head around, caught Hau's calf between his jaws, scoring deep rents into the flesh. The sand-demon screamed and twisted so violently that he squirmed free, scampering away into the ever-lightening pall of fog.

"Damn! Demon on the ground, from the headland!" Yǎn-sui bellowed, alerting the humans ahead of him. Another crossbow bolt whistled past his head. Yǎn-sui whirled, flames licking in his maw as he fixed on Anu.

"_**GAAAAAAAOOORRWF!"**_ Lhamu bawled, slamming headlong into Anu before the wind-demon could take another shot. Xing leapt up out of the saddle and let fly a fireball that engulfed the weapon. Anu tossed it aside and swiped at him, only to howl in pain as Rinzen, diving in from above, tore through the membrane of his outstretched wing with a bladelike blast of wind loosed through his staff. "Take care of Hau, we got this!" Rinzen yelled down to Yǎn-sui, snatching Xing in mid-air and landing in Lahmu's saddle just as the sky-bison head-butted Anu in the torso. Demon, beast, and humans careened into the mists over the water.

Screams in the direction of the fortification snapped Yǎn-sui out of his daze. With an oath, he ripped the crossbow bolts from his flesh, turned, and sprinted in the direction of the skirmish.

"Demon! Demon! _FIRE!"_ Yǎn-sui dove to the ground to avoid the volley of fireballs that barreled out of the brush ahead of him.

"What are you idiots doing?" he shouted, springing to his feet as two squads of humans crashed into view, nearly surrounding him. "The sand-demon's penetrated the first line, fall back to th…!"

"_**FIRE**__!_" cried a wild-eyed man Yǎn-sui dimly recognized as Xun under his warpaint.

_'They're panicking – they can't recognize friend or foe_.' If they lived through the day, he would discipline these humans _severely_. He hurdled over the nearest bunch just as they loosed their volley, landing behind them and bounding into the brush. They gave chase, and Yǎn-sui snorted at the irony as he neared the fortification.

"Watch your feet, he can burrow through stone!" Yǎn-sui exclaimed, bursting into the cleared area around the fortification. He brandished Tiào-fěi at the squad of humans, who were gaping stupidly at him. "Where's your signalman? Alert the squads inside the forti…!"

"_**FIRE**__!_" Two walls of fire, from fore and behind, crashed over him. Yǎn-sui had no choice but to collapse the flames around him into a single mass, flinging it up into the air where it exploded.

"He's the fire-demon Master Yǎn-sui warned us about!" Ning yelled excitedly, stabbing his finger at Yǎn-sui. "Be careful everyone, surround him but stay out of range until we have enough people to finish the job!"

"Sound the horn, call for reinforcements!" Xun bellowed.

"_What in the name of the unholy Abyss are you idiots doing?_" Yǎn-sui howled, Tiào-fěi spouting dark blue flames. "Can't you see that…?" Yǎn-sui stared at his upraised arm. Blue. His skin was blue. He grasped Tiào-fěi in his paw, ivory claws gleaming in the firelight. His human guise had dissolved. _'It can't be! Jiān…!'_ Sanity reasserted itself; if Jiān had been killed, his life, bound to hers, would have ended as well. _'… I suppose I know one more ability that whelp obtained.'_ "… Shit."

"Elder Yu, stay back, he's…!"

"Idiot, Elder Yu can deal with him with just one bolt of lightning!"

Yǎn-sui slewed around just as the ring of humans surrounding him parted slightly to admit the frail old man. Elder Yu had not painted his face like the rest of the humans, but to Yǎn-sui, his presence alone was ten times more frightening as he cast aside his cane and assumed the beginning stance of lightningbending. "Demon, receive the judgment of Heaven's Flame!"

There was no other option. Yǎn-sui sheathed Tiào-fěi and dropped to one knee. "Elder Yu, I am not who I seem. I am Yǎn-sui, servant of the priestess, I…"

"What did he say?"

"Liar!"

"How dare he…!"

"Kill him!"

"Did he say he was…?"

"He's trying to trick us!"

"No, wait…!"

"_**KILL HIM!**_"

_'"What are you doing, idiot spawn? Run! That old cripple will kill you in a moment!"_

_'No! Hau can be anywhere!'_ Yǎn-sui lowered his browridge to the ground. "Elder Yu, listen to me! I am your ally! You must listen to me, the sand-demon has already…!"

"Silence!"

The babble of human voices hushed. Yǎn-sui cautiously raised his head. Elder Yu slowly approached, his old-gold eyes never wavering from Yǎn-sui's. "Demon… you claim to serve the priestess?" he asked sternly, pausing several swordlengths away. "You claim to be our ally?"

"I do, Elder." Yǎn-sui grit his fangs, snorted. "_Please_… by Lord Agni's Flame, I serve Lady Jiān. I am Yǎn-sui, your student, though I have yet to master the cold fire!"

Elder Yu's eyes widened. "Master Yǎn-sui," he whispered, aghast, "are you really…?"

The ground at the old man's feet exploded in a blinding cloud of dust and sand. Elder Yu cried out, shielding his eyes and thus did not see Hau spring from the earth, claws and fangs extended for the kill.

"No!" Yǎn-sui howled, lunging forward, knowing he was too late, too late…!

"_**HAAAAAAAOOOORRRAAAAAHHHHH~!**_" Oh's massive head, twin pairs of yellow eyes blazing, shot out of the ground, knocking Yǎn-sui aside. Her jaws snapped at Hau even as the rest of her bulk heaved into view, scattering the humans. The sand-demon screeched angrily, springing away from his prey. Oh dove at him, but Hau was too quick for her. Zig-zagging across the ground, he scittered under her maw and leapt at Elder Yu.

"I don't think so!" Yǎn-sui's elbow slammed into Hau's nose-plate, shattering it. Hau, shrieking and gibbering, plunged into the ground like a scorpion-lizard down a bolt-hole.

"**GET BACK HERE, YOU LITTLE PISSANT!""** Oh screamed, diving after him in hot pursuit.

"Elder Yu, are you injured?" Yǎn-sui asked, kneeling beside the old man as he shakily sat up.

"I… I am all right," Elder Yu murmured dazedly. "But I think… I think that demon bit me…" He held up his left arm, the sleeve of his tunic torn and soaked with blood where Hau's fangs had pierced his forearm and wrist. The skin was already turning black around the fang-marks, veins of purple threading an ever-widening web of poison through his body.

Yǎn-sui grabbed Elder Yu's hand and unsheathed Tiào-fěi. "There's no time," he said lowly, holding the doubled blades just below Elder Yu's shoulder, "I have to cut off your arm before the venom spreads any fur…"

"_GET AWAY FROM HIM, DEMON!"_

Yǎn-sui tucked Elder Yu under him, shielding him from the burst of yellow-white fire that roared over them. "Lien, stop!"

"_I SAID, __**GET AWAY FROM HIM**__!_" Lien shouted, upraised fists limned with tongues of white fire.

"Lien, don't, it's me, I…!"

"Hey, girlie, step aside! I got first dibs!"

"Get down!" Yǎn-sui shouted, scooping Elder Yu up in his arms and countering Punga's blast of freezing breath with his Inferno. Suffocating clouds of steam inundated the clearing.

Punga strode through the thick miasma, sweeping it aside with casual flicks of his weighted chain, paying no heed to the humans who warily sidled away from him, torn between flight and attack. "Here's the thing black-mane," he announced, a manic grin contorting his blood-bespattered face, "It'd been loads of fun, playing tag with the goddess, but I only have a little bit of time where I can actually come up and _kill you_ before I get found out, so do me a favor and drop that old sack of bones so we can fight."

'_How did he get past Jiān? Some new trick he's been hiding all along?' _Yǎn-sui, not daring to look away from the crazed ice-demon, edged back to Lien and transferred Elder Yu into her arms. "Tie a tourniquet around his upper left arm; it may be enough to keep the venom contained until Jiān can see to him," he told her under his breath.

"I said, _enough_ with the damned talking, _**FIGHT ME**_!" Punga bellowed, hurling both the weighted chain and the sickle directly at Yǎn-sui.

Yǎn-sui hastily split Tiào-fěi into its two halves, the right swinging low to deflect the weight aimed at his legs, the left catching the sickle aimed for his head. Lien and the other humans cried out as ice burst from the chains, showering them in razor-sharp shards. Yǎn-sui shook his head, snorted, dislodging the dozens of ice splinters lodged in his face.

Punga whooped and snapped the weighted chain back, whirling it over his head as he drew his chain-sickle tight. The fog and steam streamed around him, spinning faster and faster, colder and colder.

Yǎn-sui had no idea what the ice-demon was planning, but he did not care to find out. "_Punga!_" he yelled, wrenching his blade free of chain-sickle and charging.

"Hee." Before Yǎn-sui could close the distance, Punga slammed the weighted end of the chain into the ground between them. The white mass of fog followed, folding up into itself into a tall, thick sheet of solid ice. Yǎn-sui battered it down with two strikes from Tiào-fěi, leapt to avoid the blast of Punga's ice-breath, and thrust at Punga's head.

"Got ya." The chain-sickle snaked around Yǎn-sui's ankle, the blade burying deep into his calf. Punga side-stepped, whipped the chain-sickle back and flipped Yǎn-sui in mid-air, slamming him on the ground. He stomped down on Yǎn-sui's throat and drove thick shafts of ice, summoned from the mist, through his arms and legs, pinning them to the ground.

"I really wanted to make you suffer a _lot_ more than this, black-mane" Punga growled, eye alight with bloodlust and madness. "But you gotta take what you can get."

"… J… Jiān… wh-what…?" Yǎn-sui wheezed as his windpipe collapsed under the weight of Punga's foot, bursts of light and black cascading over his vision. Every twitch of his body, every strangled gasp, burned like dragon-fire. _'How did you get past her? How? Have you taken her? Have you captured her? Why doesn't she summon me? __**What did you do to her?**__'_

"Oh, Anu knocked her around a bit, enough for me to get past her guard. You should be proud, black-mane; you did a great job, bringing her lethal streak to the surface. Pity she'll never reach her full potential…"

"No!" _'Jiān… Jiān! Don't you dare, don't you touch her…!'_ His blood was freezing around the ice; the fire retreated to his core, fleeing from the chill. The black was sweeping him under. _'No! No! Fire of Agni, Flame of Heaven… Tiào-fěi! Father! Please…!'_

"Flail all you like, black-mane. No, I'm serious! Keep trying to live, to fight, to save your precious goddess!" Punga chortled, giving one of the ice-spears in Yǎn-sui arm a twist. "Hee hee hee, you don't even care that you're about to die, do you? All you can think of is saving her." His face fell, as if he was suddenly seized by a different mood. "Now you know what it's like. You're the reason she's going to die, and there nothing you can d…"

"_**FIRE**__!_"

Fire, phoenix-bright, engulfed Punga, devouring mist and ice. The ice-demon howled in pain and surprise, stumbling away from Yǎn-sui. Air rushed into his lungs and he heaved himself upright.

"Melt the ice in his arms and legs!" Lien shouted, jumping over him, loosing a swath of white fire from her foot at Punga. "Form the line! Quickly! Fi- !"

Punga barreled out of the mist on all fours, pounced… and collapsed just short of Lien in a heap, snorting and yowling as his limbs refused to obey him.

"Everybody, get back!" Jiān strode into the clearing, the luminescent billows of her shrouds dissolving the mists. The blood-marks on her skin shone as though freshly painted and a terrible light gleamed in her midnight eyes. She held her hands up in front of her, fingers contorted, claw-like. "Punga… You didn't really think you'd get away that easily, did you?" Her right hand snapped up and Punga bounced into the air like a limp doll jerked by a string around its neck.

"Gah… get your slimy hands off my blood, bitch!" the demon snarled, crimson dribbling from the corners of his maw.

Yǎn-sui scrambled to his feet, stumbling as he summoned Tiào-fěi to his paws. _'She took control of his blood? Is this what Punga meant…?'_

"Lady-priestess…?" Lien said hesitantly, eyes flicking back and forth between Jiān and Punga as if she did not know who the more dangerous one was.

"Yes, I'm sorry I didn't think of this sooner," Jiān said, scowling at Punga. The ice-demon grunted, his entire body twitching as he tried to break free of the goddess's control. The other humans stared in mute horror at their priestess. "Yǎn-sui, what happened?"

Yǎn-sui shambled up behind her, his wounds healing as approached. "Uutu is down… I think. Qiōng-míng grabbed him away, and in the process… you see the result. Hau attacked Elder Yu, but Oh intervened before he killed him, and now they're Abyss knows where," he reported under his breath, "Anu…"

"Lhamu, Rinzen, and Xing are keeping up with him, far as I know. Punga got away when Anu attacked me, but then he left all of a sudden, so…"

Punga spat a curse that made Yǎn-sui flinch. "Figures. The bull-horned asshat probably heard the little bilge rat screaming for help and hared off to the rescue." Foam dribbled down his lips; lines of deep red broke and spider-webbed across his green hide as he strained against the hold of his own blood. "So, girlie, you gonna kill me now or what?"

"… Kill?" Jiān's upraised hand trembled ever-so-slightly, her eyes widening.

"Jiān, you must," Yǎn-sui told her, lowly, urgently, bending over her shoulder, whispering into her ear. "This was not a time to question methods. Think of all the people he's killed. _Your_ people. It's your duty to render judgment, avenge them. You can't hold him there forever."

"Yes, 'render judgment' – you gods love lording that over all creation, don't you?" Punga mocked. "How you gonna do it? Make my blood go backwards, burst my insides? Or are you going to rip it all out of me at once? Are you?"

"I…"

"Now, Jiān. You must kill him!"

"Do it!" Punga bellowed, cackling madly. "Do it! Blot out those Signs on your skin, once and for all, become a proper God like your daddy and brothers and sisters and paint yourself with Death!"

"Jiān!"

A low, incoherent moan floated from Jiān's mouth; the dread light around her dimmed, shrank into her form. "I…!"

Punga bared his fangs in a manic grin. "Alright, if that's how it's going to be…" With a deafening howl, Punga surged forward, blood sheeting over his skin as he ripped free of Jiān's binding. Yǎn-sui leaped forward to meet his charge. Punga swerved suddenly, a blur of crimson and green and ivory.

"Lien!"

The young woman, swept up under Punga's arm, shrieked, flailing desperate flashes of fire as she and her captor were swallowed up in the fog.

"Lien!" Jiān screamed. "Yǎn-sui, after him!" Before Yǎn-sui could stop her, she sprinted into the brush.

Shadowed eyes and red lips in a white face smirked at Yǎn-sui from the far edge of the clearing as he followed his master. When he looked back, the apparition was gone.

_'What is he thinking?'_ Yǎn-sui wondered, galloping over brambles, brush, trees, and people in pursuit of Jiān, Lien, and Punga. _'Why take Lien captive? Why flee? He could have escaped Jiān's bloodbending at any time, why did he insist she kill him? Did he know she wouldn't? Was it something Qiōng-míng ordered him to do?' He almost made it sound like he was trying to get around Qiōng-míng… If so, what hold does that whelp have on him?'_ Punga, battle-crazed as he was, had seemed completely self-aware, pursuing whatever vendetta his twisted brain had concocted against him.

"He's gone over the edge!" Jiān shouted, just as Yǎn-sui reached her. They had chased Punga to the extreme southern end of the island. The demon and Lien were nowhere in sight, but Yǎn-sui could hear Lien's cries somewhere out on the river. Without pausing, Jiān vaulted off the island, the river surging to meet her. Yǎn-sui jumped desperately after her, dimly noting that several of his wounds were still spilling dark streams of blood into the grey-green water.

"Jiān, you know he might be luring us into a trap," he said as they rode down the crest of the wave and resumed their pell-mell run.

Jiān flicked at sidelong glance at him, face and voice taut with anger. "Yes. But what would you have me do? Sacrifice Lien?" The silver web of her chi expanded in ever more threads, lancing out in all directions as she sought to entangle her quarry.

"Yes," Yǎn-sui replied without hesitation. "We must regroup for the next attack. Scattering our strength like this is exactly what the enemy wants."

"I thought the enemy wanted me," she retorted. Her hands traced the air in front of her, slashing through the mists, lashes of water rising sentient from the river, streaming forward to cut off the way ahead. "Well, they're getting what they asked for. I'm ready for them."

_'Are you?'_ Yǎn-sui did not ask aloud.

From the way she bent into a run that literally flew over the face of the river, Jiān understood anyway. "_Punga!_" Yǎn-sui spotted the ice-demon ahead, about to descend the last series of rapids before the river emptied into the ocean, still some miles distant. The mists were gone, but the sky above lowered dark and grey, Agni's eye little more than a wavering white pearl suspended over the tree-tops. The banks of the river closed in on either side, rolling shoulders of giant, shrub-encrusted boulders. The slight breeze from the river mouth smelt of rain and the tidal flats beyond.

Jiān flung her hand skyward; the white water of the cataract reared up and doubled over, arcing high over Punga's head. The ice-demon, who had paused to look back at his pursuers, backpedalled just in time to avoid the wave as it crashed down, then altered course for the near bank of the river. Yǎn-sui sprinted to cut him off, Tiào-fěi flaring warningly.

"Took you long enough to catch up, black-mane," Punga sneered, sidling away from Yǎn-sui toward midstream, his eye flicking between the demon and the goddess. He held Lien under one arm, pressing her face against his bone-breastplate with his other paw. The young woman no longer struggled, but Yǎn-sui could hear the frantic hammering of her heart and the rush of her breath. "I was halfway to the North Pole. Wounds slowing you down?"

"Let her go, Punga!" Jiān demanded, hands half-raised, on the defense. Yǎn-sui wondered why she did not immediately bring the river to bear and have done with it.

Punga half-turned toward Jiān, keeping Yǎn-sui on the very edge of his vision. "Touch me with those tentacles of yours again and I twist her head off, girlie," he retorted. Lien bit down on a shriek as Punga's grip tightened just enough to prove his point. Yǎn-sui glanced at the river and saw the silver threads of Jiān's chi fade, retreating back to where the goddess stood. "Same applies to you and your noxious spit, black-mane."

"Why are you doing this, Punga?" Jiān asked softly, her expression gentle, puzzled. "Your argument is with me and Yǎn-sui: why involve anyone else? Isn't that dishonorable?"

"Pft, if you're trying to screw with my head, don't think I'm anything like your pet black-mane," Punga spat. "Honor's got nothing to do with me! I'm not a slave to you gods and your hypocrisy any longer!"

"You still haven't answered my question, Punga," Jiān pointed out.

"Screw you and your question, goddess," he retorted. "Black-mane, I would stop moving if I were you." His claw pressed into Lien's temple, drawing blood. Lien gasped, whimpered.

Yǎn-sui froze, muttering a curse; he had hoped to edge into Punga's blind spot while he was ranting at Jiān. "Punga, let her go. Whatever grudge you have against me, we can settle it without interference, here, now."

Punga snorted, rolled his eye. "Yeah, I was _trying_ to do that earlier, if you remember, when this bint..." another bright red stream trickled down Lien's cheek, "went and interfered."

"Punga!" Yǎn-sui stopped short as Punga tightened his grip dangerously. "You can't! She's _pregnant_!"

"Mmm-hm, I noticed," Punga returned gleefully. "Funny thing about humans when they get like this, black-mane: they don't really get much stronger. They don't get much nastier. They _do_ however, get weaker in some ways. Take our females - if they spawn a weakling, something deformed, they kill it. Simple and clean. Humans are different. Sometimes, they keep the weak, deformed ones around. Not to take care of them, oh no." He laughed under his breath, a chilling, choked gurgle of madness. Lien moaned. "They torture them. They cast them out, they shun them, they make every miserable day of their miserable lives hell! And when they've had their fill of suffering, _then_ they kill them! And they have the gall to call us "monsters"!

"Tell me, girlie," he hissed to Lien, his paw fumbling over Lien's tunic, fingers digging into her belly, "if this spawn of yours comes out twisted, can you love it? Can you protect it? Can you?"

Lien writhed, sobbing, "No, no, no, let me go, please, no, don't! Please, _don't!"_

"Is that a 'no'? Was it? Maybe I should cut it out for you, so you don't have to deci...!"

Yǎn-sui was already moving. '_All I need is one second, one second to blind him, one second to save her...!'_

"**PUNGA!**"

Punga's eye wavered from Lien for a split second... widened... a shimmering bolt of silver pierced it, snapping his head back, and suddenly, Jiān was there, sweeping Lien out of his numb embrace as his corpse slowly, so slowly, fell back over the whitened water and sharp rocks of the cataract, whirling away to the sea.

_'What just...?' _"Jiān, what did you...?"

"I didn't have a choice, right?" she asked, pleaded. She held Lien up out of the water, the young woman sobbing as she burrowed her paint-smeared face into Jiān's neck. Jiān's eyes were wide, desperate, almost panicked. "He would have killed her. He would have tried to cut her open, and I... I ... I _had _to kill him, right?"

"But how...?" he managed, somehow still unable to believe his eyes.

"I bended my blood," she replied in a vague, faraway voice, "I couldn't use the river, he would have sensed it and killed her, so I used _my_ blood... I... I threw... I shot it through his eye, and..." She clapped a trembling hand to her mouth and gagged.

"Priestess...?" Lien gasped, looking up at Jiān.

Jiān clenched her hand into a fist and tried to smile at the young woman. "Let's... let's go back. To the island. Everyone's waiting, right?"

Lien nodded mutely, pressing her tear-stained cheek against Jiān's hair, lean brown arms twining tightly around the goddess as she sobbed in relief.

Jiān bent her head over Lien's shoulder, took a deep breath. "Yǎn-sui... let's go. The battle… isn't over yet."

He had never heard such exhaustion in her voice. _'I was wrong... Was I wrong? Punga needed to die. She saved Lien. But somehow... I was wrong...'_ Yǎn-sui twitched his head angrily. This was not the time to entertain doubts that sounded like they were infected by Rinzen's "pacifism." _'Speaking of Rinzen...' _"Jiān, we should track down Anu bef..."

It came in a sudden rush of wind. If he had taken the time to think, to do more than react, they would have been dead. Yǎn-sui threw Tiào-fěi as Anu dove out of the cloud cover, his maw gaping in a soundless roar, deadly, piercing winds spiraling from his wings. The blades, trailing flames like the tails of twin comets, slammed into Anu's shoulders, knocking the wind-demon from the sky.

'_One chance – I'm right, I know I'm right!'_ Yǎn-sui thought as he stepped forward, the blue fire kindling on his fingertips. The fire changed, elongated, _flowed_ as Jiān's chi, tied to him, tying him to the river, melded with it, binding Fire and Water… he breathed in, his arms moving in perfect circles around his body, harmony in motion, balanced…

… Anu crashed into the river, his wings flapping pathetically as he struggled to find purchase against the river bottom, against the current…

… '_There is antithesis, there is Balance – Darkness to Light… Fire to Water… Life…'_

… the wind-demon had broken free of the river's embrace, scrambling into the air, sky-blue eyes now tinged with red as he set his sights on Jiān…

… '_Life… Agni… if it must be, let it be me… that she will live…'_

Sound. Time. Breath. Self. All had vanished. All, together…

… '_Life… to Death.'_

Light, blinding light, shattered the air. Silence poured into the vacuum, leaden, crushing, until it, too, splintered into a deafening roar, louder than the ear could comprehend. Yǎn-sui felt it in his bones, liquid, liquefying, lethal, terrifying. _'Ah, there was a price I had to pay, after all…'_ he thought, falling to his knees as the blue-white blinding light finally faded.

Anu hovered above him, scorched and buffeted, Tiào-fěi jutting from his body like some macabre ornament. "What…" he gasped, crimson streaming from his ears and eyes, so that it seemed he wept blood, "what have you done, Yǎn-sui?" He held out his cupped paws, the trembling fingers parting to reveal the black, twisted, smoking ruin cradled there.

'… _Hau?'_ Yǎn-sui's addled brain queried, noticing the pitiable stubs of horns still visible on the corpse's exposed skull.

"All this time, I tried… I tried to keep him, to keep _all_ of them alive…" Anu seemed to have forgotten Yǎn-sui was there as he stared down at Hau's body. "I was strongest, I could have done it… why, _Hau_? _**Why?**_" he screamed, lunging at Yǎn-sui.

The river swallowed them, Anu bearing down on Yǎn-sui, his wings churning the water to blinding white froth, his claws scoring Yǎn-sui's body as he tried to tear him apart. Yǎn-sui fought, bit, writhed. _'Tiào-fěi… Tiào-fěi!'_ Yǎn-sui ripped free of Anu's grasp just as his back slammed into the smooth, rounded stones of the river-bottom. He twisted to one side, gathering his feet under him… sprang upwards, paws seeking… clawing over Anu's body… _'Tiào-fěi!'_… his left paw closed over on blade, pulled… Something, whether Anu's wing or fist, slammed into his temple, knocking him away, but Tiào-fěi stayed with him…

Yǎn-sui clenched his fist around the hilt. _'It __**ends. NOW!**_" He slashed through the water, Tiào-fěi's flames flaring to life, steam heat flashing over his skin… blade bit into flesh, into bone, singing through flesh once again into empty water and grey-green twilight became crimson darkness.

The headless mass of Anu's body drifted to the river-bottom, paws twitching, one last, futile attempt to grasp at the life already fled. Yǎn-sui, head hammering as the last of his breath burned in his starving lungs, ripped Tiào-fěi's other half from the corpse, and kicked for the surface, oh-so-far above. No matter how he struggled, he seemed only to drift, weightless, senseless, motionless, fading… the light was growing dim… _'Jiān… call to me… beside you… bid me…'_

As if in answer, silver chords descended toward him, caressing feather-light as they bound him, lifted him, brought him toward the light he had no more strength to reach. Light bathed him, scattered, and then he was on paws and knees on the water's surface, gasping, choking on rain-laden air, achingly sweet, body screaming in agony as his bones had to take up his weight again, but he was alive, _alive_!

"Yǎn-sui!"

Yǎn-sui raised his head, which felt like it was encased in solid iron. Through the raindrops, Jiān's face hovered over him, white streaked with crimson, black hair streaming midnight skeins over her deep blue eyes. "Yǎn-sui…" she whispered, horrified, relieved, hesitantly exultant.

He hacked, spat blood, swallowed another gulp of air before he raised himself up on one knee, bowing his ponderous heavy head. "The wind-demon, Anu… is defeated. Hau… is defeated. By… the grace of Agni, I have…"

"Enough, Yǎn-sui." Jiān laughed, though it sounded more like a sob. She hitched Lien's arm more securely around her shoulder. "If you're tired, take a breath. You don't need to rest on formality with me, of all people."

Yǎn-sui chuckled to himself and heaved his body upright, stumbling only slightly on the river's unsteady surface. He saluted her with Tiào-fěi. "I rest when… the enemy's defeated. Let's go." He sensed Jiān shaking her head behind him; with any luck, she would save any further lectures until after they had dealt with Qiōng-míng and Uutu, if the whelp still lived…

"Hey, Yǎn-sui! Jiān! Lien!"

The trio looked up. Lhamu, Rinzen and Xing waving down at them from her back, swooped down from the clouds, skimming over the river before landing smoothly beside them, paddling back against the current. "Thank Tian!" Rinzen exclaimed, swiping rain-drenched bangs out of his eyes as he stared at them (Yǎn-sui noticed that his gaze kept returning to Lien). "When Anu flew off like that, after Oh disappeared, I…!"

"Oh?" Jiān repeated. "What happened to her?"

"Hey, what's that demon doing here?" Xing cried, pointing at Yǎn-sui.

"Xing, I'm…"

"Xing, he's Master Yǎn-sui," Lien said quietly. "Master Yǎn-sui is a demon."

"But…!" Xing sagged against the side of Lhamu's saddle, staring, his mouth working soundlessly in disbelief.

"Rinzen, please, what happened to Oh?" Jiān insisted.

"I'm not sure," the airbender replied, shrugging helplessly. "She was going at it hammer and tongs with Hau _and_ Anu together, so much that we were hanging back to just stay out of her way, when all of a sudden, she… I don't know… she opened her mouth like she was howling in pain, and then she just _vanished_!"

"And right after that, the little yellow demon jumped on the big brown demon's shoulder and they flew off like an arrow-shot!" Xing interjected, snapping out of his astonishment. "Lhamu tried to catch them, but the flying demon did _something_ and we were whirling around like someone caught Lhamu by the tail and was spinning her around and around, and wouldn't let go! And finally, it just stopped, and Lhamu flew off in the direction she thought Anu took, and that's how we got here." He narrowed his eyes at Yǎn-sui, suspicion threading through the confusion.

"So, did you run into them?" Rinzen asked. "Why's Lien all the way out here with you? What about everyone on the island?"

"Rinzen…" Yǎn-sui began.

"Lien, can you get into the saddle?" Jiān asked the young woman.

"I… Yes." Lien grasped a tuft of Lhamu's fur, pulling herself up on Lhamu's shoulder. Rinzen hastened to steady her, while Xing pulled her into the saddle.

"Rinzen, please take her back to the island, as quickly as possible," Jiān requested in a low voice. "Tell everyone that Yǎn-sui and I are going to find the last two demons and take care of them. But don't let your guard down, not until we come back."

"'Last two'…? You mean you already…?" Rinzen gaped at Yǎn-sui and Jiān. He passed a hand over his face and shook his head ruefully. "I was thinking you looked pretty torn-up, Sunshine – you sure I can't offer you a lift as well?"

"No way!" Xing shouted. "Master Rinzen, why the hell are you going to let a _demon_ ride with us? Are you crazy or something?"

Rinzen fixed Xing with a stern stare. "Look, I get where you're coming from, Xing, but if you'd open your eyes for _one second,_ you'd…!"

"LHAMU, _FLY_!" Jiān shrieked, casting the water beneath the sky-bison up in a white-plumed column. "Yǎn-sui…!"

His wounds slowed him down. The freezing of his blood, the battle beneath the river, the lightning, had dulled his mind to lead. He had not even sensed it, until Uutu's presence was just behind him, the younger demon taking advantage of his own limited control of Jiān's river.

"General Yǎn-sui…" Hot breath on the nape of his neck and an arm like an iron band snaking around his chest, crushing his ribs. "I'm sorry. You, my father… I'm sorry, I was confused… it's too late for me now…"

"Uutu, wait!" Yǎn-sui exclaimed.

The world exploded in red-gold fire, and then… nothing…

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**A/N:** In all honesty, killing off so many characters like this was REALLY PAINFUL. D; Next chapter will be Anu's narrative, so please look forward to it!


	34. Narrative: Of the Zephyr from the East

_**Tales of the Spirit World: Fall of the Blue Spirit**_

Part XXX:** Of the Zephyr from the East

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**

"... and so it was, regrettably, that the Gods made War..."

"... In the East of the Mountains at Edge of the World, where Zephyrs hold sway, the daughter of Tian called Sangmu, the Gentle One, gave leave to her assembled court to choose their allegiances. One of these, called Tseten, avowed never to take part in the War, for she loved only the peace and security of Sangmu's crystal palace, where all was Light and Air, and cared not for the rest of the World.

" 'Why shouldst thou permit those who serve thee to descend to the depths of the World Created, where they must toil and commit violence and even die for a quarrel that has aught to do with them?' Tseten asked of Sangmu.

"Sangmu, in her Wisdom, only replied: 'To be a part of the World is to suffer. To be apart from the World is to never live. Satisfy thyself with thine own choice and tarry not overlong in anxiety over the affairs of others.'

"But it was not relief but doubt that Sangmu's gentle counsel stirred in Tseten. The Nature of Air is boundless, and those of Air yearn to roam free. Does not the tame songbird in its cage, though it is safe and well-fed, envy its wild cousin, who is free to fly to the four corners of the World? As Tseten meditated in the bright and spacious gardens that exhibited countless wonders gathered from the World by Sangmu's courtiers for her delight, she became ever more uneasy.

" 'I have heard told that all that is here is destined to change and then to die and pass away, though the power of my lady Sangmu is great. Nothing is permanence, not even the Sky-Mother or the Earth-Mother, neither the Sun-Father nor the Sea-Father. Why should I seek to entangle myself with them, and learn what loss and suffering are?' asked Tseten. And yet, she was uneasy and could not escape into the serenity of her meditation.

"Days and seasons, unchanging within the crystal palace of Sangmu, passed, but Tseten remained torn between her Nature and her desire. Sangmu's attendants oft returned bearing tales both horrible and wonderful, speaking not only of the affairs of Gods, but Men and Beasts as well. Of the Demons they rarely spoke, and, perhaps for this reason, Tseten became consumed by the mystery surrounding these beings, whose very existence stood opposed to everything she was.

" 'Perhaps if I were to meet a Demon, I would learn all I need to know about the World. They are supposed to be terrible and terrifying. Should the one I meet be horrible enough, this curiosity will cease bothering me,' Tseten said to herelf. As Tseten spoke these words, serenity entered her soul for the first time in many a day, as if something was assuring Tseten of the correctness of her thoughts. Overjoyed, Tseten made haste to present herself before Sangmu, and to her relate her thoughts.

" 'Thou hast hatched upon a most interesting stratagem,' said Sangmu to Tseten, 'If it will put thy mind at ease, I will bid a Demon in my service, a great and fearsome warrior, to enter these halls and hold conference with thee.' Sangmu spoke thus because she loved Tseten as much as any mother would love and dote upon a dear child of her womb.

"Tseten thanked Sangmu for her generosity, and so Sangmu sent for one of her Demon warriors, who attended her summons with immediate haste. The Demon entered the room where Sangmu and Tseten waited, the tips of his heavy, up-bowed horns, like those of the sky-bison, nearly scraping the enameled ceiling. His great wings were like those of a wolf-bat, dragging awkwardly upon the crystal tiles as he bowed to his mistress. His claws and fangs were terrifying to behold, looking more to belong to some vicious dragon than any other creature. Though his hide was the shade of common mud on the riverbank, his mane was the pale gold of rice chaff, and his eyes the same blue as Sky-Mother Tian's cloak. Upon his iron breastplate, he bore Sangmu's sigil and from his belt hung a crossbow and many iron-tipped bolts. Death was rank upon him, a miasma of blood and battle. At the feet of his master, the Demon sank upon his knees and touched his browplate to the floor.

" 'This Demon shall suit thy needs, dear Tseten,' said Sangmu, and so withdrew.

"Tseten gazed at the Demon, a thrill of Fear shuddering through her as cold shivers through the marrow of the bone. But she was determined, and perforce stood boldly before the Demon and bade him to raise his face.

" 'Demon in service of my lady Sangmu, I would have you tell me about yourself,' declared Tseten, without ceremony.

"The Demon stared at her, as if bewildered by her tone, or perhaps the command itself.

"Tseten, impatient, sternly repeated her command.

" 'This unworthy slave understood thee at the first,' replied the Demon, and his sky-colored eyes spoke of laughter he did not give voice to. 'Permit me to express surprise that a Zephyr should consider it worthwhile to question one of the Demon Race on such a matter.'

"Because of her sanction against the World, Tseten had indeed drifted far from emotions that otherwise plague it. Upon setting eyes upon the Demon, she had for the first time felt Fear. But it soon occurred to her that the Demon mocked her in some way, and so she felt Anger.

"The Demon, perhaps sensing the turn of her mind, hastened to say: 'This unworthy slave begs forgiveness for the slowness of his thinking. Would the lady ask of me, that I might understand what she desires and so answer correctly?'

" 'Very well,' replied Tseten, still stung by her earlier anger. 'What part do you play in this War?'

" 'This unworthy slave serves my lady Sangmu, and kills her enemies,' answered the Demon.

" 'But why should my lady have enemies? She is too kind-hearted, too generous! It is the fault of the quarrels between the Sun Father and the Sea Father that this War should be fought, is it not?' declared Tseten.

" 'The lady speaks truthfully, if simply. Though the Brother Gods quarrel and make War, it is Creation itself that dictates there should be Change, and thus, Conflict,' replied the Demon.

"Tseten found she had no reply against what the Demon said, for his voice spoke to her with the authority of knowledge beyond her ken. 'Do you enjoy taking the lives of others?' asked Tseten with tremulous voice.

"The Demon's eyes became like clouded glass as he answered: 'I neither enjoy nor do I hate killing. My Purpose is simply to obey. If I am told to kill, I will kill. If I am told to die, I will die.'

"Tseten cried out in disbelief: 'This I do not believe! For shame, Demon, that you should lie, and slander your masters! Who among the Spirits and Gods of Air should so summarily and unjustly end a life?'

" 'That you speak of Justice and of Demons "living," in the same breath impresses this unworthy slave with the lady's innocence of this world ruled by Gods. By the pardon of the lady, this unworthy slave would boldly dare to say that the lady is too kind to venture further in her inquiries. This unworthy slave speaks thus in order to leave her spirit untroubled by that which is foul and ugly and distasteful,' replied the Demon.

"His words, though gentle and respectful as should be the words of a slave to one better than he, instead only stirred Tseten to even fiercer anger. 'You would mock and slander your masters, Demon! Do not dare to presume that you can patronize me in this way!' cried she, her grey eyes flashing like Agni's cold fire and her voice resounding with the tenor of the most ferocious winter storm in the high mountains. Such was her anger that she banished the demon from her sight and the halls of Sangmu's palace. The Demon withdrew…

"… but Tseten's conference with the Demon left her mind more in turmoil than ever before. Her thoughts dwelt more and more upon the tales of battle told in Sangmu's court, and in her dreams, and even in her waking, Tseten witnessed the killing fields, where Death reigned over the shrieking darkness of souls mired in hate and bloodlust. And always, always… clear before her eyes, the Demon stood in the midst of the terrible storm, fighting, killing, wounded, and thereby dying, consumed by the malignant darkness. Unable to find peace even within the serene halls of Sangmu's crystal palace, Tseten took flight, winging high above the Mountains at the Edge of the World, higher and higher into the breathless space of the Heavens above, higher than any Zephyr had dared fly.

" 'Sky-Mother Tian, would that I could take up thy place above this World, ne'er to suffer its tribulations! When my mind's eye sees him thus, defeated by Death, I feel myself torn by Agony and Sorrow! Why should the death a mere Demon, a slave, a bloodstained killer without a soul, trouble me so?' asked she of the ether of the vast sky above. In highest Heaven, where Sky-Mother Tian dwells, the Goddess heard Tseten's entreaty. Wiser even than Sangmu, with a heart as gentle as the sigh of breezes in the summer, the Sky-Mother knew all too well what troubled her child and knew, too, that for Tseten there awaited a dreadful fate.

"But neither could she allow her child to remain forever ensnared in anguish, unable to go forward, enlightened, or unable to move backward into the sanctuary of ignorance. And so replied the Sky-Mother, in a whisper that floated from the blue expanse like a feather:

" 'Oh sweet Zephyr, Child of My Spirit, even in this highest Heaven, the serenity thou seeketh is unattainable, for the suffering of the World is inescapable. The way behind thee, the idyll of ignorance and peace, hath closed and the way forward shall lead thee only deeper into the anguish thou hast so long sought to escape. Take thee now thy courage and go hence to the place thy heart knows it must.'

"Tseten, though despairing, obeyed the Sky-Mother's bidding, and thenceforth descended from the Heavens into the World, there to seek out the Demon…"

"… until at last Tseten came upon a place newly made a wasteland stained dark with blood and upon which the dead and dying lay alike under the scorching gaze of Agni's eye. Fear, knowing Fear, possessed her and she crossed the terrible place with great haste, desperately searching amid the ruin for the object of her quest, until at last she came to the center of the battlefield, where the corpses had assumed the likeness of a mountain by their number. Upon the summit of this "mountain," the Demon lay, silent, still, mane matted dark with blood, his belt shorn from his waist, his outstretched wings tattered and torn.

"Consumed with dread and anguish, Tseten flew to his side. Her touch proved that his skin was still warm, that his heart still beat, that his chest still rose and fell with breath, and yet he was dying.

" 'Demon! Demon! Wake! Wake!' cried she, touching her brow to his pierced breastplate.

"At the sound of her voice, the Demon did wake. Upon opening his eyes, he beheld Tseten and spoke: 'The lady hath come to the one place this unworthy slave desired to keep her from. Would that thou were blind and deaf and be spared this monstrous sight.'

"But Tseten denied his plea: 'Nay, Demon. In truth, I have been a petulant fool and a selfish coward to have sought to separate myself from the World for so long. It is well that I should at last see with mine own eyes that which foolish vanity and hateful rancor hath wrought.'

"The Demon, though great was the pain of the Life flowing out of him, spoke gently as his eyes shaded dark: 'There is nothing wrong in wanting to be spared needless suffering, lady. A slave such as I has no lot in life but suffering, but I had dared to hope that I would die knowing that there was one in this World untouched by it. Allow this unworthy slave one boon and go hence from here, returning to the crystal palace of Sangmu in the Mountains beyond the East, there to forget and be at peace.'

"But Tseten replied: 'Demon, you have asked of me the one thing I cannot grant. The Sky-Mother herself hath decreed that I can ne'er return to the peace of my isolation, having awakened to the World.'

"The Demon sighed: 'That this unworthy servant existed and was the instrument of thy new consciousness is my greatest sorrow, lady.' And his Life left him.

"And seeing him dead before her, Grief seized Tseten with such Agony it was as if her very soul had been rent in two: 'Ah, Sky-mother! Ah, Lady Sangmu! Alas, that only now do I understand! Ah, my foolish, hidden heart! Oh, Demon, wake, abandon me not for oblivious, cold Death! Be thou not so cruel as I was cruel, and deny my heart!'

"But the Demon could not answer. The World became dark to Tseten's eyes and a still quiet filled the void wrought in her grief. And so she spoke: 'Ah, the skein of Fate hath truly been woven, cut, and tied for us. Oh, capricious Fate, that even the Gods are imperfect and incomplete and cruel, and that nobility and kindness be found in the form of so lowly a slave, fit only to die.' And so she spoke, laying her head upon his chest: 'May that I, in giving my Life for thine, and taking thy Death for mine, set thee free of thy bonds, ne'er again to be enslaved…'

"And so was Tseten's final, truest wish granted: her form became as purest Air, infinite and unbounded as it flowed into the Demon, her Life restoring his even as she became Void…

"… and upon waking, the Demon realized what Tsten had done, and wept…"

* * *

* * *

**Archivist's Note:** Were it not for its inclusion in _Journeys under the Empty Sky_, the "Tale of the Zephyr from the East" might be considered at best an apocryphal account of Air Nomad storytelling inserted to enliven an already far-reaching anthology, or, at worst, a deliberate attempt by the author(s) to cast aspersions on Air Nomad teachings. In point of fact, the scholar Tshe-ring of the Western Air Temple (and a contemporary of Avatar Arreak), in her critical essay,_Book on Many Thoughts_ regarding Fire Nation interpretations on Air Nomad culture, referenced "Tale of the Zephyr from the East" as found in _Tales of the Spirit World _as an example of "fallacious and even malicious" fabrication. Given that _Journeys under the Empty Sky_ has long been suppressed as a heretical text by the lamas of all four of the main Air Nomad temples, and had by Tshe-ring's time lapsed into obscurity, the archivist is inclined to make allowances for her less-than-thorough research.

See: _Journeys under the Empty Sky_; Man; Pre-Avatar; Children of Air [_sic_] (Air Nomads); Essays, Critical; Travel Compendium; Author: Himavat gi Rinzen phyir 'don-song

_Book on Many Thoughts_; Man; Avatar Arreak; Air Nomads – Western Air Temple; Essays, Critical; Literature; Author: Yar-lha-sham-po gi Tshe-ring

(The archivist also notes with cruel irony that, of the many treatises critical of the Air Nomads published under the auspices of Fire Lord Azulon, only Jisheng's _Words Regarding Tactics_, written after the Western Air Temple had been destroyed, makes any reference whatsoever to either the original story or critiques thereof, and only to demonstrate the weakness of Air Nomad arguments for peaceful settlement.)

See: _Words Regarding Tactics;_ Man; Second Upheaval [_sic_] (Avatar Aang(?)); Military History; Statecraft; Author: Fongshan-yú Jisheng

* * *

**A/N: **(P.S. - the identity of "the Archivist" will come up in a chapter or two - any guesses?)


	35. Of Deceits and Defeat

_**Tales of the Spirit World: Fall of the Blue Spirit**_

Part XXXI:** Of Deceits and Defeat

* * *

**

Had he not been so very frantic, Yǎn-sui would have been thoroughly annoyed at finding himself, once again, "waking" to a silent, pitch-black void. "Huì, I don't have time for this!" he exclaimed.

Nothing and no one answered; no familiar illumination relieved the darkness. "Huì?" he said again, more to shake the cold hold of dread stealing over him than out of any belief that Huì had anything to do with the depthless, placeless gloom. His "body" in this place was free of wounds, but Yǎn-sui almost wished for the pain, to confirm some small piece of reality. "Is this about Uutu? Why did he become a berserker? What did you say to him?! Huì!" The darkness closed in, silent, penetrating… watchful. "Am I... dead?"

"Not quite," someone answered, at long last, "Close enough, but not quite."

Yǎn-sui did not bother with preliminaries, simply wheeled about and lunged at Qiōng-míng, intent on tearing his heart from his chest.

Qiōng-míng sighed, the Koh-faced mask blank and bored as Yǎn-sui plunged through the vapor of his form. "I understand you're upset with me, father, but such displays are distracting. My concentration might slip just enough to let you die after all."

There was a chance he was not lying, but Yǎn-sui did not care. Qiōng-míng did not bother to dodge the claws that swiped impotently through his white reticulated armor. "Anu warned me of the Blue Spirit's strategic genius. Please tell me this isn't what he meant," he said, touching Yǎn-sui on the shoulder as he passed by. The darkness seized him, head-to-foot, in crushing coils like a serpent's, stopping him dead in his tracks.

"What have you done to me, spawn?" Yǎn-sui growled through clenched fangs, struggling vainly against the hold. He could barely move his head to glare at his son.

"Are you impressed, father?" replied Qiōng-míng, drifting into view, "The realm of the subconscious is the purview of dreams and Nightmares. At last we can discuss matters candidly, without interference. Forgive my extreme methods, but you left me no choice."

"What 'matters'?" Yǎn-sui snarled, "Do you really think you have anything left to say that's going to prevent me from ripping you to shreds?"

"I wouldn't waste my time if I didn't," Qiōng-míng said, holding his paws up in seeming helplessness, "Believe it or not, I only ask you hear me out."

Not that he had any choice, they both knew. "If this is my subconscious, how did you get here? What happened to Huì?"

"Ah, yes, your erstwhile subordinate." The pink eyes behind the Koh-mask flashed with momentary irritation. "He's passed on, at long last."

"You…!" Yǎn-sui lunged, but the dark coils encasing him were like bands of thick steel.

"I wasn't the one who destroyed his horns, father," Qiōng-míng averred, "But no matter. What's done is done. As to your other question... well, let's just say yours is a very stubborn head to crack, and I couldn't have done it unless Uutu had not carried out his final duty so effectively. I had my doubts about him, but at long last, he proved his usefulness."

"Uutu is dead?" Yǎn-sui asked, taken off-guard.

"You sound surprised, father. Do you regret that he killed himself because of you? Or are you angry that he denied you the pleasure of executing him?" The mask's red lips quirked in a sneer. "I thought Agni's greatest demon warlord and most loyal _slave_ wouldn't be so concerned with how a renegade was dispatched."

'_The fire… the explosion… Uutu didn't…!'_ "He ignited his blood… all of his blood…" Yǎn-sui realized, feeling sick. Only the most worthless, warped fire demons were turned into such weapons.

"I don't understand this concept of "honor" the Gods ingrain into you," Qiōng-míng continued blandly, "but it was only when he finally cast it aside that he could be truly effective… and truly _free._"

"_Free?!_" Yǎn-sui roared, straining to swipe Qiōng-míng, "You stole his will, made him a berserker! He's _dead_! How is that freedom?"

"I 'made' him a berserker?" The Koh-mask tilted in affected confusion. "You flatter me, father. Uutu was never under my control. He _asked_ me to make him insensible to his doubts and misery, doubts _you_ created in him, misery _you_ inflicted on him when you spared him and handed him his father's horns so that he could confuse his spawn further. That is my one true ability: to bring the peace of Void. He was free, and yet you made him question his freedom. Small wonder the only solution he saw was to destroy himself."

"But you were his commander, his leader," Yǎn-sui retorted, "You've managed to get him, and every single one of the demons who fought for you, killed! And for what? To bring me here? To lecture me?! Do you expect me to feel guilt or regret for _your_ lacking?"

For a brief moment, a grimace of pure rage trickled over the Koh-mask, and Qiōng-míng moved as though he would strike Yǎn-sui. Yǎn-sui bared his fangs knowingly. "I suppose you consider my methods extravagant," Qiōng-míng said blandly, his pink eyes half-lidded with disdain, "But father, we both know there is time to sacrifice soldiers to win the war. You've done it before, many times before, haven't you? Legions have perished, following you into battle."

"There's a difference between "sacrifice" and "waste," spawn," Yǎn-sui said, sneering, "They, and you, had a choice to fight, live, or die, if what Anu and the others spouted is true. What have you actually achieved?" He snorted in disgust. "They were free, and yet they let themselves be used by the likes of you."

"Precisely, father: they _let_ themselves be used," Qiōng-míng said, "I had no power to command them. Unlike you, I am not a fearsome warrior, I cannot coerce with brute strength. But I could read their desires, their dreams, their fears. They were free, yes, but they were as helplessly adrift and battered as withered leaves in an unfeeling storm, this world where Gods and Spirits rule, where even Men and Beasts are free, and yet our Race is enslaved." He paused, stared at Yǎn-sui with calculating eyes. "Can you even fathom the terror freedom inspired in them, until I came and showed them the means to use it?"

"I cannot," Yǎn-sui answered bluntly, "What did you promise them, Qiōng-míng? What lies did you feed them? What did you say to make them betray their masters?"

"Lying isn't my specialty," Qiōng-míng protested calmly, "And I did not have the power to free them. They, each of them, had eaten the flesh of their respective masters and made themselves free before I recruited them."

"What?!" Yǎn-sui demanded. He had assumed his duplicitous spawn had somehow manipulated the others into devouring their masters in order to make them useful tools. _'They acted alone? If that is so… how many other demons have stumbled on the same solution, by accident or design?'_

"Anu was the first," Qiōng-míng explained, circling Yǎn-sui as he spoke, "Strictly speaking, she wasn't his master, simply a Spirit of Air so enamored of his "nobility" that she gave up her existence to save him as he lay dying. One could almost say she possessed him, though I think he always harbored a germ of mercy that drove him to spare those weaker than himself, to the point that he refused to slay and devour the humans in the goddess's valley." He turned to Yǎn-sui, held up his paws and sighed. "He loathed the Gods, for it was their War that had demanded her sacrifice. But he knew that, alone, he could not defeat them and in desperation, sought merely to free other Demons when and where he could.

"Hau was the second. Anu took him from the bowels of a desert god's abode, where he had been twisted by torture and starvation into a berserker beyond berserkers, reduced to a pitiful wretch that had a mere shred of self left to cling to. You should have seen it, father, the way Anu tore that god to pieces, the way Hau feasted on the heart, shrieking with joy. Hau never obeyed my orders; he was even more troublesome than Punga and Uutu together. The only one he listened to was Anu, because even he knew he owed Anu a debt that remained unpaid… until today." Qiōng-míng inclined his head to Yǎn-sui. "But then you had to go and turn that final, _honorable_ act into a waste, didn't you?"

Yǎn-sui glowered.

"Ah yes… the other two," Qiōng-míng said, as if in response to a question, "Uutu, as I know Anu told you, was rescued in much the same manner as Hau. I see now it was a mistake on Anu's part; Uutu had no concept of freedom, consumed as he was by the ideals of "honor" and "duty" that shackled him more securely to the whims of the Gods than his bond to his master. He also admired you greatly, for you were the ideal he aspired to in the service of Agni. I've not lived outside of the Abyss very long, but I appreciate the irony."

"And lastly, Punga… his death is the one I regret most; he had no pretensions toward mercy or nobility like Anu, and he wasn't nearly as brainless as Hau or Uutu. Bloodthirsty, vindictive, cunning…" Qiōng-míng sighed heavily. "Do you know, the reason why he was so gleeful in his slaughter of humans was because he actually loved one, once?"

"Demons do not "love,"" Yǎn-sui retorted, "If they do, it is a madness that consumes and destroys them." _'As it did the Firstborn…'_

"Yes, well, you've pointed out his one flaw," said Qiōng-míng, shaking his head. He paused, head tilted thoughtfully. "Incidentally, it was after you annihilated Pana's army that Punga met the girl; he'd been rejected by a female and nearly slain, but managed to escape the Abyss. The human saved his life, for whatever reason, and he… fell in love." The Koh-mask worked into a frown. "He was quite eccentric to begin with, come to think of it. She was beaten to death by other humans, and he ripped out Pana's heart in an attempt to save her. The love for the human girl that gave him the strength to defeat a God eventually drove him insane with hatred for all creation, and he became quite unreasonable near the end. Thus his vendetta against you."

"I fail to see how I am to be blamed for his insanity," Yǎn-sui replied, "If he lost to me on the battlefield, it was because he was weaker; no demon bears another a grudge for that. And I could hardly have persuaded that female to injure him."

Qiōng-míng made a noise that might charitably be called a chuckle. "You really aren't to blame, father, but then, you were the only target he could fixate on. Mother was, and still is, inordinately fond of you." The scarlet lips curled in a leer, the eyes behind the mask sparkling with sadist glee. "So much so, in fact, that she asked me to bring your eyes back to her as memento. She collected one from Punga, but he slipped away before she could take the other."

Yǎn-sui stared. "Your… _mother_ was the one who took his eye?"

"Hm." Qiōng-míng seemed captivated by Yǎn-sui's agitation. "Whatever you did when you mated, it impressed her so much she's rejected all other males after you most severely. She's become quite resentful of you in the interim. I can't imagine what she'll do when I tell her about your… current master."

Grinding his fangs, Yǎn-sui returned the conversation to a more palatable topic. "So how did you 'recruit' them, then? By relying on His authority?" He nodded his head at the Koh-mask. "Hideous as you are, I imagine that's what it took to coerce their allegiance."

"It made for a good first impression, but you'd be surprised how little influence He has in this World over demons who have freed themselves," Qiōng-míng admitted, "It took my own share of wits, and some promises. Punga, for example, agreed to help me only in return for Tui."

"'In return for…'?" Yǎn-sui echoed, dumbfounded, "How…?"

"Perhaps he thought Pana's heart had not been enough to bribe Death and that the Lord of the Seas would prove more valuable tender," Qiōng-míng said. He tapped a finger to the side of his head, the mask working into a wry grimace. "I have no idea where he hatched upon that scheme, or if it would even work, but since he's dead now, I suppose it doesn't matter."

"You disgust me," Yǎn-sui spat, revolted, "You claim you do not lie, and yet you manipulated the vain desires of demons and warriors better than yourself in pursuit of a vain goal. I can't believe He wasted His time with you."

Qiōng-míng gazed at him, apparently stunned into silence. "Father, that's a very harsh thing to say," he uttered at length. Suddenly, he had closed the distance separating them, his masked face thrust into Yǎn-sui's. "I don't think you appreciate what it is I'm trying to accomplish here."

"You've succeeded in annoying me beyond all capacity to comprehend, which I suppose is a feat in and of itself. I know what it is you're pursuing, and I know you will fail," Yǎn-sui growled, refusing to blink or turn away, "_He_ will fail as well."

"Oh…? You think you can outwit the Lord of Demons Himself, that you've read His thoughts as I have read yours, and defeat Him?" The lips of the mask stretched into an impossibly wide grin. "Do tell, father."

"You will never touch Jiān, let alone eat her heart or take her to Him," Yǎn-sui snarled, "With my last _breath_, I will tear you apart!" He paused, bared his fangs. "And if you manage to walk over my corpse, _she_ will make you regret the day you emerged from the Abyss!"

"You think so?" Qiōng-míng abruptly turned his back on Yǎn-sui and paced away, shaking his head and muttering to himself.

Yǎn-sui glared. "I'm not wrong. That's what all this is about. You attacked Jiān's humans, sowed terror in them, and planned to use them as hostages so she would turn herself over to you, since you're too weak to take her on yourself!"

"Hm, you've managed to grasp the rudimentary elements of the plan. Congratulations, father. How long did that take you to puzzle out?"

"Whelp, don't you dare patronize me…" Yǎn-sui growled.

"Yes, that was the first plan." Qiōng-míng folded his arms and held a finger beneath the mask's lips, as if recalling something. "Well, second. Originally, the goddess was not even my target, but rather the "protector" who sold her out."

"… you were after Hai-dao," Yǎn-sui realized.

"You figured that out much more quickly, father. Good for you!" Qiōng-míng smiled sweetly, ignoring Yǎn-sui incoherent snarls of rage. "But you've seen him; what's left of his heart will soon turn to dust and he'll be of no use to anyone. I hope the island doesn't collapse with his passing, _that_ would be a shameful waste, now wouldn't it?"

"But why Hai-dao?" Yǎn-sui demanded, "What makes him different from any other God who…?" The answer struck him with lightning clarity. "He's not a part of the War. He is master to no demon. The others… they freed themselves by eating their masters. That's the only way god-eating works, isn't it?"

Qiōng-míng shrugged. "The only way I know of, at least. So you see, when I stumbled upon _another_ deity on the very same island who was free of any entanglements with our race, it saved me a lot of trouble. I had only to find her weakness, which you've hit on, and exploit it. But then…"

"I showed up and she bonded me with a life-debt," Yǎn-sui finished for him. He curled his lip mockingly. "So that's why you went through all this. You had to eliminate me before you could get to her."

"In a manner of speaking, but you're still missing an important point, father," Qiōng-míng replied.

"And that would be?"

"If all I had to do to claim my prize was kill you, why are you still alive?"

Yǎn-sui startled. _'Why __**am**__ I still alive? He's had ample opportunity to kill me before, even if he claims he's not much of a warrior. The ability to conceal himself in plain sight by hiding his chi gives him an edge any assassin would kill for. He enjoys pain as much as any demon, but getting Anu and the rest killed for an opportunity to play mind games is beyond madness. So why did he reveal himself at all? He had no reason to, no reason at all…'_ His eyes widened and he stared at Qiōng-míng. "You said… you did not know Jiān was here – you did not even know who she was! But why… why would He dispatch you from the Abyss in the first place, if not to claim her?" His mind whirled as he grasped at the answer, feeling it escape and tease him, a frivolous dragon-fly flitting purposefully just out of reach. "Why did you tell me to carry out the Firstborn's mission? You knew I wouldn't, couldn't. And yet you came out of hiding just to tell me to take her to Him! Why?!"

Qiōng-míng closed his eyes and turned away. "I told you that my mother raised me in order to serve Him and Him alone," he said quietly, "But that's true of _all_ demons, isn't it, father? We exist because He wills it. We serve the Gods because He wills it. But once we escape the Abyss, we… change. Anu, Punga, Uutu, Hau… even after their reason for existing ended, they still went on living, exchanging the misery of slavery for the misery of freedom. Why do you suppose they didn't just kill themselves, and return to the Oblivion of the Abyss that spawned us all? Why do _you_, the Blue Spirit, slave among slaves, harbor in your most secret thoughts the desire to be free, to live, when we are meant only to destroy, to reduce all things to nothing, to return the World to the World to the inchoate Chaos from whence it came?"

"He is the avatar of Chaos. It is His will to do so, not ours, certainly not mine," Yǎn-sui answered, confusion warring with rage. What in the name of the Abyss was Qiōng-míng trying to get at? "But if you weren't sent here to find Jiān, then why is it so important that you become a god-eater? Tell me, Qiōng-míng! What does He intend?!"

The white figure of Qiōng-míng seemed to fade in and out of the darkness, the slow flicker of a dying candle-flame. "This World… it is so different from the Abyss. It's terrifying… exciting… He is meant to destroy it, but He has grown impatient. No matter how long the War drags on and the Gods weaken themselves with infighting, the seal that imprisons Him in the Abyss remains. And so He came to realize, perhaps… only a God can unmake what Gods have wrought."

"Once you take Jiān's power, He intends that you free Him," Yǎn-sui said lowly, the scattered tumult of his mind silencing with the revelation. The darkness loosened from his limbs and retreated, leaving him to stumble on his paws and knees.

"Yes." There was no smugness, no mockery in Qiōng-míng's voice now. "The Firstborn likely deduced that very fact centuries ago, when He bargained his secret knowledge with La for her child. But the Firstborn rebelled against Him, hid the child, died for her. The story says that he did so because he loved La, but I wonder if it was the _only_ reason. And now, father…" Qiōng-míng turned to Yǎn-sui, reached up and removed the Koh-faced mask. His features were as disturbing to behold as before, but now there was a certain vulnerability to them that made Yǎn-sui think of the human boy, Xing. "You told her that you wanted to defeat Him, for the sake of our race. I didn't know if you were telling the truth, I had to know that you were what you seemed, I had to test you."

"… What are you saying, Qiōng-míng?" Yǎn-sui asked, rising warily.

"Before… I knew only the Abyss. I only knew His will, but now…!" Qiōng-míng shuddered, holding his face in his paw, the pads of his thumb and middle finger digging into his eyelids. "I can sense Him, in here, in my mind. He doesn't suspect me, not yet, but…!" He threw aside the mask, the blackness swallowing it hungrily. "Father, your bond to the goddess is deeper and stronger than any bond of oath or debt. You can do it! You can take her power, use it to defeat Him! I can help you!"

"Qiōng-míng…"

But his son did not seem to hear him. He carried on, as if a floodgate of emotion had suddenly loosed his tongue, his words rushed, breathless, his eyes alight with desperate eagerness. "Can't you see, father? You know you can't defeat Him as you are now! It took the Gods to seal Him away, but if the power of the Gods was bound with the power of our race, His power, turned against Him…? I saw it, I saw _you_ do it today, when you wielded Agni's cold fire, when you killed Hau by binding your very existence to the goddess! Without her, you are merely a demon, but with her power at your bidding…!"

"Qiōng-míng…"

"It's so simple, father! All you have to do is claim her for yourself! The Firstborn was known as the God-stealer, but you are the God-killer! And now, you have the chance… become the God-eater, and you can destroy Koh Himself!"

Silence. Time had no meaning in this place, as Yǎn-sui had come realize, but the silence that followed Qiōng-míng's declaration prevailed for a space of eternity.

"Father…?" Qiōng-míng said at last, his voice hardly more than a hushed murmur.

Yǎn-sui laughed: low, hoarse, mocking, growing louder and louder until the surrounding void reverberated with peals of bitter hilarity. Qiōng-míng stared, edging away from Yǎn-sui, paws twitching as if they longed for the comforting weight of a weapon. "And what, _spawn_, would you do I refused?" Yǎn-sui hissed through curled lips, narrowing his eyes at Qiōng-míng.

Qiōng-míng turned away, his shoulders dropping a fraction of a degree. "Ah, well…" he sighed, "I tried."

Yǎn-sui widened his stance, preparing for Qiōng-míng's attack. "Let's finish this," he said, though he knew he stood next to no chance in a place where his spawn could bend the battlefield to his whim.

"Oh, we will, father," his son replied, turned his Koh-masked face to his father, "but I have one last use for you."

"Qiōng-mí- !"

Whether the pain or the white flooding his vision came first, Yǎn-sui could not tell. All of a sudden, he was all too aware of how every breath he drew made his lungs feel like they had been stabbed through with a thousand needles, how every twitch of his mangled limbs sent reverberations of agony through his body. He gaped up at the blindingly white sky, blood rushing in his ears like the pounding of waves on a shore. If he had had a voice to spare, he would have screamed.

Then… the pain stopped. The white world dissolved into trembling fingers of green bamboo arching high overhead, surmounted by a grey-smeared sky deepening with the onset of twilight. Wind hushing through the jade-green verdure and the trickle of water over stones caressed him as the pounding of his blood receded. The gentle smell of recently-fallen rain heightened the thick scent of decayed vegetation and damp soil spiked with metallic blood; there was also the smell of Jiān's river, fresher, younger, the smell of water newly sprung from the earth. The headwater of the river. He felt oddly disconnected, as though he was little more than eyes and ears and nose floating free of other sensation. _'What happened…?'_

Without warning, Yǎn-sui's field of vision shifted downward, his chin falling sharply onto his chest (or so he imagined – he could not actually feel the contact). His body was inclined slightly upright, sliding backward over grey-green moss, yellowed bamboo leaves and dirt; dark crimson blood streamed freely from his torso and legs, his borrowed clothes burned and torn to little more than tatters.

_'I told Lien I wasn't good at keeping clothes intact,'_ he thought, finding the sight terrifyingly hilarious. He tried to move his toes, but they did not seem inclined to obey. He would have moved on to his fingers, only they were nowhere in sight (neither were his arms, for that matter). Patches of his hide were missing as well, burned down to angry red and glistening white ringed with black, though miraculously, none of his bones seemed to be jutting out at untoward angles. _'I should be more concerned about all this…'_

His backward motion halted in the midst of his evaluation, and his head lowered even further as his back was apparently propped up against something, likely a large rock. The smell and sound of Jiān's headwater was even stronger now, strong enough to overpower all scents except his own slowly congealing blood.

"Are you more comfortable now, father? You're not going to faint on me, are you?" Qiōng-míng's voice came to him from somewhere above and behind him. White flitted at the corner of his vision, and then Qiōng-míng was there, sans his Koh-mask and his armor looking rather battered as he stooped over Yǎn-sui, examining him intently with a critical, almost clinical, expression. "I was being sincere," he said, apparently in answer to Yǎn-sui's hate-filled glower, "It's rude not to answer someone who's inquiring after your health." He tilted his head, his eyes narrowing. "Unless…" He pressed his hand against Yǎn-sui's forehead, raising his chin slightly, and reached for Yǎn-sui's throat. Yǎn-sui, unable to move in spite of every ounce of will demanding that his body obey, had to sit there helplessly, hating every agonizing second of it. Gradually, he became aware of the sensation of Qiōng-míng's fingers pressing lightly, almost gently, on either side of his windpipe; the desire to sneeze, cough, and roar simultaneously overwhelmed him.

Qiōng-míng waited quietly and patiently for Yǎn-sui to finish gagging, even going so far as to helpfully elevate his father's head and support his paralyzed body so that he would not fall over into the dirt or choke on his tongue. "I apologize for that – immobilizing physical bodies is something I have yet to perfect," Qiōng-míng said, grimacing slightly in embarrassment.

"Don't… _touch_ me!" Yǎn-sui rasped, glaring because he could not snap Qiōng-míng's neck in two with his thoughts.

If Qiōng-míng was insulted, he hid it well. With a sigh and shrug, he leaned Yǎn-sui's head back, adjusting it as it lolled to one side so that he could only look straight ahead, and moved away.

"Why haven't you killed me yet, spawn?" Yǎn-sui asked, peering as far out of the corner of his eye as he could to try and get a fix on Qiōng-míng. He could feel slight twinges in the muscles of his neck, but he was not certain he had the necessary capacity to turn his head without it falling ridiculously to one side again. "I turned you down, didn't I?"

"Yes, but unless you've forgotten, I did say I still have some use for you," answered Qiōng-míng, his voice growing louder as he returned to Yǎn-sui's side. The rain returned as well, droplets drizzling insensibly on Yǎn-sui's hide, eating away at the dried blood. A long saber, its obsidian blade smeared with dark, long-dried blood, suddenly appeared in front of Yǎn-sui's eyes. It was all he could do to not shy away in surprise. Qiōng-míng pretended not to notice his father's momentary lapse of composure; at least, he did not comment on it as he thrust the tip of the blade into the ground near Yǎn-sui's left knee.

"If you treat a sword like that, even one cast from His body, you'll regret it," Yǎn-sui observed caustically.

"Hm? Oh, yes… Uutu tended to get twitchy every time he set eyes on it," Qiōng-míng said, stooping over Yǎn-sui. Yǎn-sui snarled as Qiōng-míng hauled him up by the torso, heaving him over the top of the rock he had been leaning against, until Yǎn-sui's head hung over the rippling mirror surface of the headwater, the ends of his mane dangling just a hairsbreadth above it. "I thought it was out of fear of Him, until one day, he took me aside and began to _lecture_ me about the proper care of swords!" Qiōng-míng made the noise that approximated laughter.

"If you're going to cut my head off, this is a piss-poor angle for doing it," said Yǎn-sui, surprised he could still be so irritated by Qiōng-míng's "jokes." _'How pathetic, eliminating all the worthy warriors, only to have my ears talked off by this obnoxious git before he goes about killing me? I'm glad I lost Tiào-fei along the way - father would never let me live this down.'_ He snorted at the irony and immediately wished he had not; it made his chest ache like a hippo-cow had danced on it with spiked iron shoes. '_Wait a minute…'_

"Do stop going on about me executing you, father," Qiōng-míng was saying, clearly exasperated, "It's morbid, even for a demon."

"Then why drape me over this rock like a fish to dry? Are you waiting for all the blood to drain to my head?" Was it his imagination, or could he feel something pressing against the small of his back?

"A little more wouldn't hurt, no. But I'm surprised how anxious you seem to die right now, after the brave show you put on earlier. Was that merely a demonstration of "honor in the face of Death" you Fire demons are so famous for?"

He finally figured out why he had not been able to see his paws; they were bound up behind his back, palms outward, and something, likely a thick piece of bamboo, had been wedged between his upper arms and back. It was a crude but effective way to immobilize even a demon, particularly one as badly wounded as he was; clearly, Qiōng-míng was taking no chances at this stage. He hissed at the burn of blood flowing through his arms as he surreptitiously twitched his muscles and his fingers, feeling his claws scraping against his own hide and the rock beneath him.

"What was that, father?"

"The reason I keep bringing up death is because I imagine it'd be a lot less annoying than listening to you illustrate your vast ignorance about how the world works." Feeling was returning to his legs. Yǎn-sui talked on, seizing on whatever insult or query that would keep Qiōng-míng too wrapped up in gloating to notice. "Explain to me how you expect a demon bound by life-debt to a god to suddenly turn around and eat her; it's impossible."

"Impossible because it's never been tried."

"So I was to be a test subject for your pet theory, is that it?" His left foot spasmed; Yǎn-sui held his breath, stifling his cry of pain and praying that Qiōng-míng remained oblivious.

"Something like that." Qiōng-míng sounded distracted. "I was giving you my honest opinion before, though I doubt you really needed it: your bond to the goddess has become something quite extraordinary."

The spasms subsided, but Yǎn-sui noted that he was still feeling a strange disconnect between his body and his mind; he could do little more than twitch his limbs, which meant he was as badly off as before, unable to defend himself, let alone go on the offensive. At least his wounds were still little more than intense aches, rather than the agony he knew they should be. _'I suppose I owe the whelp thanks for that…'_ he thought grudgingly. "What do you mean by 'extraordinary'?"

"Really, father – you're not as thick as Uutu. You know what I mean. It's that bit of essence the goddess crammed into your horn, I suspect. Leaving off the obvious, such as your newfound ability to manipulate lightning and walk on water, I'm sure you've noticed how your healing process has accelerated. So please, feel free to stretch and make yourself more comfortable, since my paralysis has likely worn off by now."

Yǎn-sui concluded that, of all the things encompassed by his spawn's existence, his confidence had to be the thing that annoyed him the most.

"Ah, you still can't sit up on your own power, right? Good, then I timed it correctly."

Yǎn-sui heard the soft scrape of skin on stone beside his left ear and felt Qiōng-míng's paw alight on his chest. "Hold still, father, this won't hurt as much if you do."

"What are you…?" The icy razor bite of a blade made him freeze instinctively. Qiōng-míng worked quickly; Yǎn-sui barely had time to register the fact that his spawn had nicked his jugular before the saber was withdrawn, leaving warm blood to trickle over his jaw, down his temple and dribble into the water, looking like so much wine accidentally spilled.

"That'll get her attention," Qiōng-míng said, satisfied.

"What in the name of the Abyss are you doing?!" Yǎn-sui roared, struggling to snap the bonds around his arms, kick away from the rock, pull himself upright, _something…_!

"Calm down, father – I've spilled enough blood to inform her that you're still alive, it's not necessary for you to contribute more." So saying Qiōng-míng pulled Yǎn-sui up from the rock and half-dragged, half-wrestled him over to the far end of the clearing. Yǎn-sui struggled mightily, but in vain; Qiōng-míng's lingering paralysis, combined with his extensive wounds, reduced his resistance to a mere token gesture. It also caused the gash in his neck to ooze blood even more quickly, adding to his light-headedness and bathing his entire left side in deep crimson. "If you keep that up, you'll bleed out before she even shows," his son admonished, lowering Yǎn-sui, not ungently, to the ground, his legs stretched out in front of him, his back against the yielding trunks of towering bamboo.

Qiōng-míng's breath came in gasps from behind mask, as if he was having difficulty breathing. "You'll find that wound slow to heal," Qiōng-míng continued, a trifle breathlessly, as he leaned over Yǎn-sui. He touched Yǎn-sui's throat with two fingers, numbness blossoming from his touch as before. "I've poisoned the blade with the others' blood as well as my own, so I must stress the need for you to sit quietly for a while."

_'I will make your death as lingering as possible,'_ Yǎn-sui thought at his son, once more unable to speak.

"I don't doubt you will," Qiōng-míng replied with a shrug, standing straight and turning back to his discarded saber. Yǎn-sui watched him closely, noting how the saber seemed to weigh heavily in his paws. Qiōng-míng had _diminished_ somehow, even beyond his purposeful chi-concealment. Yǎn-sui remembered how Qiōng-míng seemed to fade in and out of the darkness near the conclusion of their "conference." He had thought it an artifice, part of Qiōng-míng's attempt to recruit him at the eleventh hour. But what if it had reflected his physical condition, the strain of invading another's mind? For that matter, how had Qiōng-míng disappeared with Uutu after Yǎn-sui had cut off his arm, and later managed to abscond with him from the far end of the river to the headwater? _'Granted, I have no idea if it's the same day or not, but I don't see him lugging me up the cliffs if carrying me twenty paces tires him out. He could have jumped from the cliff with Uutu in tow, but…'_ Nightmares moved from one place to another with mere thought, in much the same way gods summoned their demons, but they were unburdened by physical bodies this side of the Abyss. '_Could it be that a Nightmare's power is too much for a male after all?'_

Thinking out puzzles made him dizzy. Or maybe that was the blood loss; Yǎn-sui could not see the wound, but it was, just as Qiōng-míng predicted, healing only very slowly. He estimated he had two or three minutes more of consciousness, and possibly five before he bled out. _'Jiān had to know I was still alive the second my blood touched the water. Why didn't she just summon me? Is this another one of that spawn's infernal abilities?'_ Splotches of darkness began to eat away at the corners of his vision. _'Would it be too much to ask for her to just stay away?'_ Yǎn-sui asked, already knowing the answer.

The clearing turned inexplicably cold, the misting rain suddenly arrested between cloud and earth. Jiān rose from the headwater, black hair streaming and clinging to her naked body, eyes a dreadful light of divine anger fixing immediately on Qiōng-míng, who bowed slightly and saluted her with his blood-stained saber.

"Goddess," he greeted simply.

"Demon," she replied, the frozen rain shivering the air in echo of her wrath. She stepped onto one of the boulders ringing the headwater, her garments like sheathes of fog materializing around her. "Where is he?"

"I take from your delay and your restraint that you believe I have some way to kill my father at a moment's notice," Qiōng-míng said without preamble, "In this you are correct. Although, if we do not conclude our business in a timely fashion, he will also die." He gestured back to Yǎn-sui.

He truly hated the way her eyes widened with fear (for _him_!) as their eyes met. _'Attack! Attack, for Agni's sake, just kill him!'_ he thought with all his might, worried that Qiōng-míng would strike the second her attention wavered.

Jiān… _smiled_, and the fear was no longer there. _"I know what I'm doing. Trust me."_ "What 'business' do I have with you, Qiōng-míng?" she asked coldly, sounding, for the first time, every inch the daughter of Ocean and Moon she was.

"I wish to offer something to you, in exchange for my father's life," he said. Without warning, Qiōng-míng fell to one knee and bowed his head. "Dissolve the bond between yourself and my father, and take me in his place."

The statement took Jiān by surprise; Yǎn-sui, fully aware of Qiōng-míng's true motives, could not be anything but bewildered by the seeming sincerity of the whelp's presentation. _'He almost makes it sound like he's doing us all a favor,'_ he thought, recalling another whose words and manner artfully concealed their ambitions.

Realizing how much of Pi li he saw in his spawn only redoubled his hatred.

"Why should you ask this of me?" Jiān asked quietly, almost gently, "Your comrades proudly declared their freedom. Why should you dishonor their memory by voluntarily placing yourself in servitude?"

"After what they did to your people, you consider them worthy of honor?" Qiōng-míng riposted.

"I do. Speak plainly, Qiōng-míng," she said, the cold steel beneath the silk of her voice flashing as she stepped down from the boulder and approached the still-kneeling Qiōng-míng, "You have used them, as you wish to use your father. What guarantee can you possibly make that he will not die the moment I agree to your proposition?"

_**'NO!'**_ Yǎn-sui howled, sprawling face-first on the ground as he tried to get to his feet. "No!" his voice croaked pathetically, hardly louder than a whisper, struggling to push himself up, reach her, "Jiān, don't!" His blood streamed freely into the dirt, but he did not care; better he died than she play into Qiōng-míng's paws!

"Father, stop -!" Qiōng-míng shouted, rising and turning to Yǎn-sui, paw outstretched in warning.

Jiān flung her hands forward, fingers spread wide; the rain streamed around her fingertips, ten slender lashes of water that slashed across Qiōng-míng's face, neck, and breastplate, tearing ten thin gashes of scarlet. Qiōng-míng reeled away, fumbling to bring his saber to bear, taken completely by surprise. Jiān pressed him, sweeping water from the pool behind her into a single swirling whip that snaked around his foot and threw him head-over-heels, flat on his back.

Oh's ghostly form erupted from the earth, passing through Qiōng-míng like a vapor. Yǎn-sui wondered why she did not just tear the whelp to pieces, but the mere suddenness of her appearance achieved an affect: Qiōng-míng rolled hurriedly to one side to avoid the attack that never came, only to narrowly avoid Jiān's descending water-whip.

Oh vanished as quickly as she appeared and Jiān split her whip into two, whirling out of the way as Qiōng-míng, once more on his feet, slashed at her left wrist. He was quick, Yǎn-sui saw, and more agile even than Jiān. _'Why doesn't she just take control of his blood?!'_ Yǎn-sui despaired. Jiān seemed to be trying to immobilize Qiōng-míng, rather than strike a killing blow. _'It's a good thing he's not interested in killing her yet, either, or this would be over very quickly…'_ Darkness clouded his vision, and the pair, Qiōng-míng in his blood-stained ghostly armor, Jiān in her shroud and marked likewise with demon blood, became grotesque puppets dancing a death-mime.

A thunderous roar rolled over the clearing, and Lhamu charged down from the cloud-cover, Rinzen leaping clear of her saddle, Tiào-fěi in its scabbard tucked under one arm, as the sky-bison slammed into Qiōng-míng.

"Rinzen, Yǎn-sui is right there!" Jiān shouted, sparing one second to point at Yǎn-sui, "His vein's been cut, you need to bind it!"

"Mother Tian!" Rinzen gasped, sprawling on his knees beside Yǎn-sui, Tiào-fěi falling headlong into the dirt behind him. He tore off his sash, hands trembling as he ripped a broad strip of the russet cloth. Yǎn-sui rolled onto his side, making it easier for Rinzen to wrap the makeshift bandage around his neck.

"Cut… free," Yǎn-sui rasped at him. Rinzen gaped at him questioningly, his hand pressing against the vein to staunch the blood that had already stained through the cloth. "Tiào-fěi… use…"

Lhamu screamed in pain.

"_**LHAMU!!**_" Rinzen sprang up and ran to the sky-bison, who, as Yǎn-sui watched, fell on her side with a terrible _thud!_ and lay still.

Suddenly, something cool pressed against his neck. "Yǎn-sui!" Jiān's fingers, sliding under the loose bandage, her touch closing the wound. He felt strength flowing back into his limbs, his mind and body finally fusing together. Without a word, she cut through the bonds around his wrists. Yǎn-sui strained his arms, heard the bamboo trunk creak, then splinter with a sharp _snap!_.

"Can you hold them?" she asked, helping him get to his feet, Tiào-fěi in its scabbard in her hand.

Yǎn-sui nodded, once, and drew the blades, bloodlust and battle-rage singing in his veins, blocking out the pain for the moment.

Jiān turned and ran towards Rinzen, who was sweeping blades of air at Qiōng-míng, screaming in incoherent rage and grief.

Lhamu still lay where she had fallen.

Yǎn-sui roared his challenge to his spawn as he charged, sprinting past Jiān, past Lhamu, past Rinzen, Tiào-fěi severing stands of bamboo as Qiōng-míng turned and retreated down the mountainside, flitting in and out of the brilliant green like some grotesque moth.

He sensed Jiān at his side, keeping pace as Yǎn-sui flung himself down the slope, but even she was only a vague impression against his all-consuming desire, his _need_ to rip Qiōng-míng's still-beating heart from his chest and crush it between his fangs.

Leaping headlong into the dying light of day at the forest's edge and the stream's end, Yǎn-sui briefly saw Jiān's river valley spreading beneath him, veiled in tatters of spent rainclouds, heard the roar of the waterfalls below, smelt the acrid metal stain of another demon's blood on the air…

… the black saber lanced through his stomach as he landed, Qiōng-míng gazing at him blankly as Tiào-fěi fell, ever-so-slowly from his numbed fingers, clanging against the rock.

The roar of the waterfalls deafened, filling the world. Jiān… Jiān was screaming, but the roar of the waterfalls drowned her out. Water, water, all around him, dark as night, crashing, dragging him down, drowning him…

_"I never wanted this to happen, father,"_ Qiōng-míng lips mouthed, his paws flexing around the hilt of his saber as Yǎn-sui's weight threatened to tear it from his grip, _"It's over."_

"Yes… it… is…" Yǎn-sui agreed, seizing the saber's crossguard and plunging the blade deeper into his body, dragging Qiōng-míng along with it, grabbing Qiōng-míng's stunted horn in his other paw and sinking his fangs into his son's unprotected throat.

Qiōng-míng shrieked, the sound quickly drowning to a gurgle in the dark blood that gushed from his gaping maw. He pulled at the saber, to free it, to strike back, but Yǎn-sui jerked his head, Qiōng-míng's flesh tearing, giving way, blood filling his mouth, choking him, but he did not let go, did not yield…

… the white, lifeless body of his son collapsed at his feet, the saber's black blade breaking spitefully at the hilt, still clutched in paws that could no longer wield it. Yǎn-sui spat out the useless flesh, stumbling away from the corpse, his head swimming, pounding, the roar of the waterfall loud enough to split his skull. He pulled the broken blade from his body and flung it over the edge of the cliff.

_'Over… it's over… all over… my son is dead…'_

White hands folded over his forearm and pressed against his stomach and he fell against Jiān, retching, shaking, gasping for air. She lowered him to the ground, sliding his head into her lap.

Quiet. The awful roar of the waterfalls faded, and at last he could hear her voice, feel his sanity returning under her touch as she gathered the mist and rain and pressed it against his wound, halting the flow of blood. "Yǎn-sui… it's over… rest… it's over…"

All the while her tears, warm and warming, fell on his upturned face.

"We've won," he said to her at last, wanting to raise his paw and stop the fall of her tears, but he had no strength left.

For some reason, this only made her cry more, her face contorting with grief as she sobbed into her bloodstained hands, the tears cooling on his skin and becoming cold.

"Jiān… please…" he said, begged, feeling a strange, helpless rage steal over him at the inability to stop her tears. Had they not won? Had they not defeated her enemies? Were not the people of her valley safe once more? "May I sleep now?"

Jiān paused, staring down at him in mute surprise. "Yes," she said, wiping the tears away with distracted fingers, smearing his blood over her face. Her hand rested on his forehead and smoothed over his eyes, "Sleep, Yǎn-sui. The battle is done."

Yǎn-sui obeyed, and slept…

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**A/N:** This chapter gave me more trouble than the battle in Part XXIX. It's... underwhelming in it's conclusion, but it's meant to be. Part XXXII is call "**Of Resolution**" - interpret that at will, while I try to get it finalized!


	36. Of Resolution

_**Tales of the Spirit World: Fall of the Blue Spirit**_

[MATURE WARNING: Hints of activity of an intimate nature ahead. Please use your discretion]

Part XXXII:** Of Resolution

* * *

**

_Water, water, everywhere…_

_He drifted, a helmless bark in the world of a vast dark ocean. The pearl-moon gazed down at him from the empty sky, achingly bright and colder than ice…_

_Where is this place?_

_No wind, no waves stirred the world, and yet the water impelled him forward upon a slow, inexorable current, beneath the moon's indifferent scrutiny…_

_Whence do I go?_

_The obsidian face of the ocean did not reflect the moon's pure light, but swallowed it covetously, murmuring insensible chortles of triumph…_

_Why am I here?_

_The world pitched violently, dark arms like mountains rearing above him, snatching at the hanging moon, and he descended, falling, falling, deeper and deeper into the vast depths where no light reaches…_

_He screams her name as the darkness swallows him._

Yǎn-sui gasped, his eyelids snapping open. For a terrifying moment, he could not tell the waking world from the dream: water surrounded him, dark and cold, and the sky above had emptied of the moon.

"Yǎn-sui?"

The lingering fragments of dream dissolved at the sound of her voice. He lay in the shallows of her headwater, submerged to his shoulders in the liquid ice that gushed from the earth. Pre-dawn darkness, the dead quiet before sunrise, pressed in on them, wreathed in ghostly mists. Her head had lain on his chest; now, she looked at him, eye-to-eye, her black hair and white hands trailing softly over his naked hide as their legs twined gently in the ebb and flow of the pool. Her scent came to him suffused with the clean bitterness of rain and the greening of new leaves, serene, deathless. Her very presence hummed with muted power, breathtaking in its potential, intoxicating in its purity.

A sudden inexplicable desire to draw her closer, to feel the warming of her flesh as their bodies melted into each other, seized him. He thrust it away, unnerved by the strength of it.

"This is the second time you've had to save me like this," he said quietly, frantically trying to silence the insane demands of his body, or at least ignore them.

"I ordered you not to die," she replied, attempting to smile. "Tell me, do you give Agni this much trouble?"

At the sound of his master's name, his insides seemed to empty. _'Agni. I must return to my true master…' _

It was possible the same realization occurred to her just then; Jiān's eyes widened and she hastily turned her head to one side.

"Jiān…" He reached for her then, but she shied away, slipping into deeper water, drawing her hair over her naked shoulders like a veil. He sat up slowly, feeling a strange, heavy ache in his chest like a wound that had refused to heal. At least the urges of lust had subsided at her rejection. "I must go… I must take care of my s… of Qiōng-míng's remains," he told her. She did not respond, did not look at him. "If I leave them where they are," he explained, almost desperately, "they will molder and turn to poison. I must go."

"Go, then," she finally answered. She kept her face averted as he rose and pulled himself out of the pool, Tiào-fěi clinking despondently in its sheath as he retrieved the swords from their place beside the headwater.

"Jiān…" Yǎn-sui turned away, cursing the bitter, hateful helplessness that overwhelmed him at the sight of her. _'What am I thinking? How can I presume to even touch her? Of course she turns away! Agni, she's the daughter of Tui, and thus…'_ The mists swirled around him as he stalked away, fighting the urge to run.

The smell of blood pervaded the air. He had just crossed the place where Lhamu had been felled by his spawn's sword. Her body had vanished; for a moment, he could almost convince himself that she had not really died, that perhaps Jiān had had time to draw the poison and bind the wound… but the stench of death, of flesh already turned to rot by the poison of demons' blood had insinuated itself as well, and too much blood had steeped into the yielding earth beneath his feet. Yǎn-sui knelt on one knee and scanned the ground. No scrap of horn or even a tuft of fur remained behind as a _memento mori._ Whoever, or whatever, had claimed Lhamu had been thorough. "In Agni's name, I commend her spirit to Death, acclaiming her a warrior, honorable and true," he intoned, scraping up a handful of moist, blood-soaked earth. He breathed on it, a slender tendril of flame snaking from his lips to engulf the offering, consuming it to ashes. He pressed the remnants to his mouth, swallowing the dust. "May your spirit imbue this unworthy one."

He proceeded down the mountain, passing Jiān's shrine without hesitation. Numbness worked its way into the corners of his mind, and as much as it reminded him of Qiōng-míng, it was easier to drift unawares than to think about anything at all. As it was, he nearly stumbled at the edge of the cliff overlooking the valley, surprised to have arrived so quickly. He stood there for several moments, staring vacantly out into the fog-enshrouded expanse, feeling the heaviness of the bond of his life-debt for the first time in many days. No, that was not right; the chains of Law were weakening every second, dissolving into the nothingness from whence Jiān had summoned it. Then what could possibly press upon him with such terrible weight?

_'I do not want to go,'_ he realized. _'I do not want to part from her. I do not want to return to Agni and become her enemy.'_ He choked on the caustic laugh that bubbled up from his aching chest. _'Father, did you foresee this?'_ For once, Tiào-fěi was silent.

Yǎn-sui turned to the spot where his son's corpse lay, a pathetic, crumpled, blood-stained white mass. Qiōng-míng had fortunately expired on bare rock, and the mists and rains of the previous night had not been enough to wash his blood into the river. His hideous face was turned to the side, the head lolling at a bizarre angle on his broken neck and torn throat. The paws that cradled the hilt of his broken saber were frail to the point of feeble; Yǎn-sui found himself wondering just how long his son had actually trained to wield a weapon.

_'Koh dispatched him with little more than his wits and an impossible mission – damn Him!'_ He shook his head violently; he did not feel pity for Qiōng-míng, a liar, a manipulator, and a coward. Demons fought and demons died, never by choice and always by another's design. Why should he feel sorry that his spawn happened to be the victim of Koh's machinations? That's what they all were, in the end.

He crouched beside the body and brushed his claws over Qiōng-míng's horns, abbreviated versions of his own. There would be no question of taking a trophy. Demons often took the horns of foes they had defeated in battle as a testament of prowess, but what was the point? This had been a shadow conflict, an inglorious, mad venture cut short. The idea of taking them simply to desecrate the corpse made the gorge rise in Yǎn-sui's throat, though he could not explain why.

"You used shadows and deceit as your weapons," he found himself saying to the body. "Your death is without honor… but that is not your fault. The fault lies with Him." _'One day, I will make Koh pay for this.'_

_"How?"_

Yǎn-sui jerked his paw back, gaping in disbelief. He had heard it, clearly heard Qiōng-míng's soft, insidious voice sighing in his head.

_"How will you defeat Him, father, unless you use the goddess, as I told you?"_ The sly, grating noise of Qiōng-míng's laughter shivered through him, raising the hairs at the nape of his neck.

"You are dead, and forever silent!" Yǎn-sui told the body. "I summon the Inferno!"

Even as blue-white flames engulfed and devoured armor, flesh, and bone, the mad cackle sounded again and again, higher and higher, reverberating in his brain until the fire ceased, leaving behind nothing but a clump of white-grey ash. Yǎn-sui swiped at them, smearing and grinding them into the wet face of the rock until the last echoes of laughter died away. His breathing was harsh in his ears, nearly drowning out the hammering of his heart. With great effort, he drew in a deep breath and got to his feet, turning his back on the place. "All those who knew you existed are dead; in time, I will forget you as well," he promised.

The demons who had terrorized Jiān's people were dead; his son's corpse was ash. Nothing remained to tie him to Jiān.

By this time tomorrow, he must consider her an enemy.

* * *

"Hey," Rinzen greeted from his seat on the shrine steps as Yǎn-sui emerged from the bamboo forest. Given that the sun had barely broached the eastern horizon, the fact that the airbender was conscious, let alone functioning, was enough to give Yǎn-sui pause. Before the demon could comment, Rinzen raised his eyebrows and rubbed his hand over the bridge of his nose. "Uh… not to presume about demon mores and things, but…" he coughed, looked away, "there's this _robe_ I found in the shrine just now you can use if you want… seeing as you got rid of what was left of your old ones?"

Yǎn-sui tilted his head quizzically. Rinzen's bizarre speech reminded him of something. "It's too small, but I suppose it's better than returning to Angi with nothing more than Tiào-fěi in its scabbard," he said, approaching the shrine.

"What, you mean… you're really going back?" the airbender demanded, scrambling to his feet. He grabbed Yǎn-sui's arm as the demon mounted the steps. "You're just going to _leave_?"

Yǎn-sui halted, clenching his free paw in a fist to keep his claws from ripping the human apart. "I have no choice," he growled, staring at the half-opened door panel leading into the shrine. "What Jiān asked of me is done; my bond with her was only temporary, and now I must return to my true master."

"That's bisonshit!" Rinzen blurted, "How can you say that, after learning about your father, your son… _everything_? You're just going to _abandon her_?"

The world went red. The next thing Yǎn-sui knew, he was holding Rinzen in mid-air by his throat, the airbender struggling frantically, slicing at his face with pitiful gusts of blade-wind. Horrified, Yǎn-sui opened his grip, and Rinzen fell to the ground in a groaning heap. _'The bond has weakened so much that I can harm humans at will now?'_

Rinzen gagged, coughed, and sat up, massaging his bruised throat. For the first time, Yǎn-sui noticed that there was a strange milky-whiteness clouding over the iris of Rinzen's right eye, and a thin jagged line of pink creasing the skin from the right side of his forehead to his cheekbone. "What happened to your eye? Did Qiōng-míng…?"

The airbender stared. "What the hell is wrong with you?" he demanded hoarsely. "First you throttle me, then you ask about my eye like you actually care?"

"I told you before, Jiān's bond was temporary," Yǎn-sui explained with as much patience as he could muster. Even a former ally of circumstance should be accorded some measure of respect. "A demon without a master's restraint can act on certain impulses, and since it was her will alone that kept me from acting out against humans…"

"You can pretty much just snap at anyone who pisses you off, yeah, I'm starting to understand," Rinzen interrupted. He seemed more annoyed, disappointed even, than afraid at the idea that Yǎn-sui could kill him at the slightest whim.

"I'm glad," Yǎn-sui said curtly.

Rinzen quirked an irritated eyebrow at the demon and pushed himself up, leaning against the raised platform of the shrine for support. "As for your question, no, it wasn't him – it happened just after that big black demon grabbed you on the river. One second, everything was noise and fire and heat, the next, you were gone, vaporized for all we knew, and I couldn't see out of this eye. I thought it was blood from a cut but… guess the gods just weren't with me this time." He looked down and touched the corner of his newly-blind eye, as if trying to confirm it was really there. "Jiān did what she could, but there were others worse off: Elder Yu dying, and Lien…" Rinzen clasped his hand over his mouth and turned away, shoulders shaking.

"Was Jiān able to get to Elder Yu in time?" Yǎn-sui asked, though he knew the answer. Rinzen shook his head silently. "And Lien? What…?"

"Miscarried," Rinzen interrupted hoarsely. "We almost lost Lien as well. And Lhamu… Oh helped me take her to the mountaintop. I couldn't do anything more for her, other than offer her spirit up to the Sky-mother."

Yǎn-sui bowed his head. Rinzen sounded exhausted, emptied of spirit; he could almost sympathize. "Lhamu…"

Rinzen stiffened.

"Lhamu was a fine warrior. I will honor her memory and will keep my pledge to her," he said.

"You're right… about her being a warrior," said Rinzen with a low, bitter laugh. "She was definitely braver than me. Smarter than me, too. I don't know what I'm going to do without her."

"Whatever you do, don't die," Yǎn-sui advised. "She would be very upset with you."

Rinzen laughed, truly laughed, and faced Yǎn-sui with a wry grin. "Yeah, she would." His face fell. "Yǎn-sui, don't leave Jiān. She still needs you," he said gravely. "Besides, what if _other_ demons attack?"

"I think that she and Oh can take care of any more interlopers for the time being. She's only scratched the surface of her true potential," Yǎn-sui replied, keeping his tone purposefully light. "But I doubt He will hesitate to use her humans against her as before. That is why I will advise her to go to the North Pole as soon as possible and rejoin her father."

"'Rejoin her father'?" Rinzen echoed, dumbfounded. "Tui? But, wouldn't that mean you would…?"

"Child of Air, it is time."

Yǎn-sui started in surprise as Oh materialized not ten paces from where he stood. For some reason, the bear-dog spirit manifested only the barest trace of her form, assuming little more than a translucent silhouette against the emerald shadows of the bamboo behind her. Rinzen, who had seemed to have expected this appearance, merely nodded once in acknowledgment before hopping up onto the shrine's platform.

"Jiān's gone on ahead, then?" he asked, pausing just outside of the sliding door.

The outline of Oh's massive shaggy head bowed in answer.

"Right. Hope she takes her time, or this is going to be awkward," said Rinzen, entering the shrine. He emerged only moments later, his flying staff in one hand, the white robe Yǎn-sui had first worn in Jiān's service in the other. "Here," he said, tossing it to the utterly bemused demon. "Wish us luck."

"What are you talking about?" Yǎn-sui asked, ignoring the robe in his paw for the moment.

"Ah, Jiān didn't tell you?" Rinzen asked, looking distinctly uncomfortable, "Well… uh… just stay here for a bit. Jiān'll be back soon, there's some important… things… she has to take care of, so…" The airbender twirled his staff nervously under Yǎn-sui's suspicious glare. "Oh can fill you in on some of it, if you ask her," he said hurriedly. He jumped down from the shrine, opening the wings of his staff as soon as he hit the ground. "Just… try to understand that this is the way things are, hard as it might be. Everything will be all right though. Be seeing you, Yǎn-sui!"

"Rinzen…!"

The airbender was swept up on a powerful gust of wind and quickly vanished over the waving tops of bamboo.

"Oh, what was he talking about? Where did Jiān go?" Yǎn-sui demanded of the Earth spirit.

Oh scrutinized him with ghostly amber eyes, antipathy clear despite her near-transparent body. "This one heard thee speak of the fallen Beast. Dost thou truly intend to stand by an oath sworn to a creature who ne'er had aught to do with thee, but for a quirk of Fate?"

"I don't see how that has anything to do with what I just asked you, but yes, I do," Yǎn-sui growled. "Now, answer my question, Spirit."

"Jiān and Rinzen face trial at the hands of humans," Oh said at last. "It is because of thee, of thy revealed form, that the humans turned upon those that hath shielded their wretched hides."

"What?" demanded Yǎn-sui, unable to believe his ears.

Oh bared her fangs. "They saw thee as thou truly art, and by Jiān's naïveté, they learned that she and the Child of Air knew all along of thy true nature. Thus they are both accused of complicity and design with the demons that thy spawn led against them."

"You can't be serious," Yǎn-sui retorted. "They think _Jiān and Rinzen_ are somehow responsible for what Qiōng-míng did?"

"This one stands in rare agreement with thee, demon," said Oh, eying him with mordant humor. "This one, too, cannot fathom the depth of willful ignorance these wretches betray in turning upon those who have defended them with their lives."

Yǎn-sui snarled in disgust. "They're worse than panicked koala-sheep. My bond should have weakened enough to go down there to take a brace of heads, maybe that will show them the error of their ways." Tiào-fěi shivered eagerly at the promise of bloodshed.

"That thou shallt not do!" Oh snapped, her tail lashing the air.

"I've had enough of your scolding, Oh," Yǎn-sui growled, half-drawing Tiào-fěi. "Fight me or get out of the way."

"This one cannot," came the unexpected reply. Yǎn-sui cocked his head in confusion. "This one cannot stop thee," Oh repeated. "This one's totem hath been destroyed during the battle by thy spawn, who pierced it with his Abyss-born blade. But know this as well, demon, that if thou shouldst wreak massacre against the humans, thou wouldst cause Jiān much pain and shame," the spirit declared. "Canst thou truly pretend ignorance of that?"

Tiào-fěi trembled in his paw. Yǎn-sui clenched his fangs and slammed the blades home in their sheath.

"It seems that even as thy bond of life-debt weakens, other chains doth entangle thee, demon," Oh remarked, curling her lip.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Yǎn-sui ground out.

The spirit shook her head, as if astounded by Yǎn-sui's ignorance. "Would that thou hath died that first night," she said to herself. "Perhaps thou wouldst have avoided the trap of fate thou hast so violently scorned, and spared Jiān much suffering."

"Why can't you spirits ever stop yammering on about "fate" and "destiny"?" he demanded. "If you thought I was going to be so much trouble, why didn't you just kill me the moment I arrived? You had plenty of opportunity." Oh's silence was telling. "You told _her_ to kill me, or at least let me die, didn't you?" he asked, his voice dangerously gentle.

"It was the only way thy father's horns could truly become hers," Oh replied blandly. "That is the nature of such weapons, as well thou knowest. But… she did not heed this one's words." Her form flickered like a guttering candle-flame as she coughed bitter laughter. "How could she? She possessed not even the will to slay the Beasts that fed thee upon thy waking. How she wept to ask of this one for their sacrifice! How her hands trembled to accept what they had willingly give o'er! And thou!" Rage focused her. The grasses and bamboo quailed and the earth shuddered with the waves of wrath cast from her near-solid form. "Thou, demon, taught her to wield Death! Thou hast polluted her purity with thy foul essence!"

Yǎn-sui surveyed the incensed spirit with cold eyes. "By your own admission, Jiān would have had kill someday, if only to secure the means to protect herself. It is because of _your_ negligence, because of your selfish desire to keep her trapped in a pathetic half-life where she was ignorant of who she really was, that Jiān hesitated to kill, even at the moment of her utmost peril. Even if my kind could regret, I would not."

The earth stilled. "Of course not. Thy kind is incapable of understanding, being possessed aught of free will," she growled,. "Death and slavery is all that lies within thy purview. Dost thou even comprehend why she embraced peril, for _thy_ sake?"

The barb struck a closer to home than he cared to admit. "I didn't ask her to!" Yǎn-sui bridled.

"No, but she would have come had thou begged her to stay away," Oh retorted.

More annoying than their fixation on Fate, Yǎn-sui decided, was an Earth spirit's dogged devotion to Truth.

"Thou dost not deny this one's words," the spirit noted condescendingly, after Yǎn-sui failed to reply. "Perhaps thou art more discerning than this one gave thee credit. But knowing this, wouldst thou with sincerity urge her to abandon her home, to take her place amongst the ranks of those who art thy master Agni's sworn enemies?"

"It has to be done," Yǎn-sui replied with forced conviction. "This island is no longer safe for her. The humans will always be her weakest point, and He will exploit it. As you are now, you can no longer help her."

Oh narrowed her eyes at him, but as he had spoken the truth, she was obliged to concede the point. "Nevertheless, what shall come upon the day that thou must face her across the battlefield?" she asked after a pause. "As thou hast awakened in her the knowledge to wreak Death, Tui will surely not shrink to appoint her a command of his armies."

"So what?" he shot back, a little too quickly. "That is the future, unknown to any of us. It may come to pass, it may not. I have only one concern now: to eliminate Him."

"Ah?" A sigh, a sound of curt dismissal. "So, thou wouldst continue to pursue that seductive chimera of power and glory, to succeed where the Gods at the Dawn of Ages failed? Demon, it will turn upon thee ere thou couldst broach the Gates upon the Godless Plain."

"I said nothing of glory _or_ power," he growled, flexing his grip on Tiào-fěi's sheath. "You shouldn't complain: Jiān will be free to return to this island, or go wherever she wills, without fear."

"If thou art indeed able." Strangely, Oh's last remark was less cutting than the others, delivered as an afterthought rather than a retort. Her attention seemed to wander, and Yǎn-sui turned down the shrine steps, intent on leaving her inquisition behind. "Demon," she said suddenly, "dost thou love her?"

"_What_?" he demanded, too shocked to be angry, though anger followed quickly. "Enough of your obsession with fate, Spirit – I am _not_ my father!"

"No, no, thou art not thy father," Oh murmured, eyes alighting on Tiào-fěi for a moment. "More is the pity. But neither is Jiān her mother. She doth love thee, with all her being. That is why this one asks: dost thou love her in return?"

Crushing heat like a dragon's talons curled around the ache in his chest, winding him. _'"Love"… me? What…? Jiān… no, no, Oh must be lying! No, she can't lie. But, there's no…!'_

"What is thy answer, demon?" Oh pressed, eyes gleaming with anxious eagerness.

"… No. It can't be that…" Yǎn-sui muttered, shaking his head furiously. "It can't be…!" The claws clenched tighter, and Yǎn-sui hissed in pained bewilderment.

Oh watched him with blank eyes, the outline of her twitching tail fading away as she bowed her head in resignation. "And so it is." Raising her snout to the sky, the guardian spirit loosed a high, mournful howl and vanished from sight.

* * *

The fading remnants of sunset bronzed the crumbled streamers of fiery pink and purple-blue clouds, bleeding the lilac west with phoenix fire as Night ascended the east. The headwater muttered quietly to itself, rippling darkly in reflection of the sky above.

He had tied the robe around his waist, a half-hearted reinforcement of decorum that struck him as rather pathetic. Crouched beside the headwater, Tiào-fěi across his lap, ready to be unsheathed with a split-second's notice, he surveyed the deepening gloom. This semblance of vigilance was rather pathetic as well, he had to admit; the position made the muscles in his legs and back burn as the hours came and went, and it was all for nothing anyway, since there were no enemies left to guard against.

In truth, all he could do was wait. Wait, and think. He did not even have the wherewithal to hunt, any thought of food making his empty stomach turn nauseatingly. He tried to divert himself with plans for future campaigns, ventures that had been proposed and argued over in the soaring halls of the War Council of the Heavenly Court, and now likely rendered irrelevant in his absence. A month and more had passed since Pī lì's betrayal and Huì's murder; the world outside had doubtless moved on, but he, in his isolation, had only just returned to that point. He had at least killed those responsible for the desecration of Huì's corpse, but it was a hollow victory that left the bitter taste of ash in his mouth, and he hurried to think of something else.

The problem was, there was nothing else to think about. Even thinking about Koh, bringing about his final confrontation with the puppet-master of his Race, only led to other, immediate, unwelcome thoughts, as surely as turning down the corridors of a dark labyrinth inexorably brings one to confront the monster lurking in the heart of the maze.

"Love," Oh had said. After the spirit had disappeared, Yǎn-sui had oscillated between disbelief and denial. Love, for _him_, had possessed Jiān? No! Granted, she had walked into Qiōng-míng's trap without hesitation, but that was only because of her inborn willfulness, her refusal to assess a situation logically rather than emotionally, _not_ because of some strange affliction of the mind! After all, divinities did not deign to love their slaves; if anything, Jiān was guilty only of an unwise emotional attachment that would doubtless wane with time. Oh was simply mistaken, overwrought with the aftermath of battle.

There was no other explanation.

What of himself? Oh had accused him of loving Jiān in return. Love, that terrifying madness that inevitably brought low the mightiest demon: had it infected him, as it had his father? That he could not immediately dismiss the spirit's words as the fabrication of an obsessed mind disturbed him. What had Qiōng-míng called it? An "extraordinary" bond…

No! Love destroyed, annihilated, and yet… and yet…

'_Jiān'_. He had but to close his eyes, recall her face, the way the light in her eyes shifted like sunlight through the deep sea, and thence followed the sound of her laughter, the gentle, cooling caress of her hands, the clear, almost bitter coolness of dewed lips, her divinity-laden water smell, at times intermingled with a riot of humanity, and yet… he could not say it was unpleasant. By turns, the strange, empty ache in his chest faded and returned with a vengeance, until he very nearly let off a fire-breath in frustration. How could the mere thought of her bring such peace and such confusion and pain in the same instant? It was beyond maddening!

"Ha." Yǎn-sui shook his head ruefully, believing at last that he had set his paw on the dragon's tail. This was why demons who loved went mad. Love, in its very essence, was more chaotic and paradoxical than Chaos itself, rejuvenating and enervating in turn until the captive spirit tore itself apart under its influence. He had drawn upon her power, played at choice to stay beside her, fought against her will and found it yielding, yielded in turn when his pride demanded otherwise… and Love had slipped in under his guard. What had the Dragon God written? _'"Beware the enemy that is thyself, that creeps into mind and body, unknown, unrecognized, unexorcised, for this enemy is the most fatal poison." Lord Huánglóng would laugh if he could see me now.'_ The desire and shame she inspired in him, the very dilemma of yearning and questioned loyalties that plagued him since waking to see her there beside him, what other proof did he need of Love's affliction?

A strange calm suffused him. He loved her, he loved Jiān. _'And what if I do? I have recognized love, seen it for what it is… all that is left is to cut it away. Other demons clung to their love, let it overshadow them – I will not repeat their mistakes. Once I am away from here, from her, there will be battles and bloodshed aplenty to wash away the memory. I will forget, and love will wither.'_

_'"You do know how idiotic you sound, playing these word games, yes?"'_

Yǎn-sui winced and glared down at Tiào-fěi. "I have succeeded where others have failed before. Why else would you put your faith in me, if I can't overcome something like this?"

_'"Overcome 'this' __**how**__, whelp?"_' His father's scorn was like hot needles on his spine. '_"Can you ignore what you've become because of her? Do you really think you can forget her? You fail to understand what you're dealing with, because you fear it!"'_

"I understand all I need to…!" Yǎn-sui began angrily, but the stirring of the headwater and the sensation of divine presence flooding the space cut him off abruptly. He placed Tiào-fěi on the ground in front of him and pressed his browridge to the earth as Jiān emerged from the pool.

"Yǎn-sui, what…?" she gasped, as if surprised to see him there.

"Good evening, milady," Yǎn-sui greeted.

"Good eve… Yǎn-sui, stop that!" she said, exhaustion and irritation taking equal parts in her tone. "How many times have I told you to… oh, for La's sake, just stand up and talk to me normally!"

Yǎn-sui waited until he heard her alight on the ground, the whisper-hiss of her shroud over the stones indicating that her garments had reformed around her, and then stood, taking Tiào-fěi up with him and assuming the appropriately respectful stance of a slave awaiting the bidding of his master.

Jiān scrutinized him. "Did you eat something that disagreed with you?" she asked, suddenly concerned.

Yǎn-sui only just resisted the urge to cover his face with his paw. "No, milady," he replied, frustrated. It was as though this morning was forgotten, or yesterday's battles had not happened, and this evening was like so many other evenings, where she simply refused to act like the goddess she was, refused to let him take his rightful part as slave. And yet… it was so familiar now that it was almost a play between them, a comfortable, private joke. _'Don't lose your focus.'_ he told himself. "Milady, I…"

Jiān was not listening, or, at least, she was pretending not to. "Are you sure?" she interrupted, closing in and circling, peering at him from every angle as if searching for some symptom of illness he was hiding from her. "But then, I can't think of anything you _have_ eaten that's given you a stomachache, you ate a whole _bowl_ of that chili paste at that one dinner, remember? The first night of the Council in Jiāng-Huì, the one the headman organized and invited guests from the nearby villages? And you didn't so much as blink…"

"Milady…"

"… And I seem to remember you ate a _skunk-bear_ the other day, and if something like _that_ doesn't cause indigestion, I'd have to say demons have stomachs made of cast _bronze…_"

"Jiān…"

"… or it could be stress, you've had to deal with a lot the last couple of days; there's a young man from the river mouth who always gets the most terrible stomach cramps every time her hears his mother-in-law is going to visit…"

"Jiān, what happened at the trial?" he asked pointedly, having recognized Jiān's tactic of ranting nonsensically to avoid more unpleasant topics.

She stopped dead in her tracks, turning her face away from him. "Rinzen told you about it?" she asked quietly, her voice carefully devoid of emotion.

"He let it slip, yes, but Oh filled in the necessary details," he replied, trying to mimic her manner, and failing. "Why do you feel the need to subject yourself to the whims of lower beings?" he blurted, rage and disgust flaring.

"It's not like that at all!" Jiān protested, her hands fisted nervously in her sleeves. "I betrayed them!"

Yǎn-sui snorted.

"I did!" she insisted fiercely, rounding on him. "I concealed the truth from them! I thought so little of them that I forced you to wear a mask, play the part of someone, of some_thing_ you're not! I've even lied to them about myself!"

"You did what was necessary to protect them," Yǎn-sui interjected, annoyed that she would defend them so determinedly.

"But I didn't!" The headwater chattered and frothed, answering her rioting emotions. "I was arrogant, I _lied_ to them, all of them, Elder Yu, the Council, everyone! And look what happened! Qiōng-míng _used_ that mistrust, that doubt, against us! All he had to do to throw us off balance was to strip away my glamour, and then…! If I hadn't done that, if I had just told Elder Yu what you were, I'm _sure_ he would have helped, he would have made everyone understand, and he wouldn't have… he wouldn't be…!" She clasped her arms around her, fingernails digging into shroud and skin. "It's my fault! It's all my fault! I'm the reason the demons came in the first place! Nobody would have died if it hadn't been for me!"

Instinct moved him before he could gainsay it, opened his paw and let Tiào-fěi tumble on the ground, made him draw his arms tightly around her, to gently cradle the back of her head and twine his fingers through her damp hair. "It is past; it cannot be undone," he insisted hoarsely as her body trembled with sobs only barely restrained. Her bitter grief tinged the air, inflaming his rage. "Learn, don't regret; remember, if you must, but do not regret!"

"How can you say that!" she cried, shoving against him with her still-crossed forearms. Common sense demanded he let her go, but something else stronger urged him to hold her even closer. Jiān uttered a squeak of surprise as his arms practically crushed her against him, and, for a moment, Yǎn-sui thought she would order him to release her. Instead, she sighed wearily and rested her cool, tear-stained cheek against his chest, her shoulders slumping in resignation. "They were scared of me," she professed sorrowfully. "What I did to Punga, taking control of his blood the way I did, it terrified them. It terrifies _me_ now, just thinking about what I did, so… it's understandable."

It was a poor attempt to convince herself that she had not been betrayed by those she had lived for for so long, but Yǎn-sui found he did not have the heart to point this out.

"It's not like there weren't people who spoke up for us, for Rinzen and me," she mentioned hurriedly, as if she knew what he was thinking. "Plenty of people did, just… not enough. Rinzen was asked to leave the island on the next merchant ship departing from the river mouth to the Continent. He said to tell you "good-bye." And then the Council… requested… that I confine myself to the shrine until they decide otherwise."

"What?" Yǎn-sui gaped down at her. "They exiled you…?"

"It's _not_ exile, nothing as bad as that," Jiān interrupted. "It's probably only for a little while! Once everyone has had time to go back to their homes, to rebuild… they'll have time to think it over. Humans adapt quickly, they won't always be afraid of me. They'll remember how I've helped them before and forget how I wronged them, and one day, maybe, it can be like it was, don't you think…?" She buried her face in his chest as tears cascaded from her eyes, a soft, wretched keen of anguish escaping her throat.

Oh was right: he knew better than to offer to kill them all. Instead, he should be grateful to the humans, for handing him this opportunity to persuade her to leave the island all together. All he had to do was step back, tell her of his plan, let them go their separate ways, never to pay mind to the other, and yet… a traitorous part of him observed how _good_ it felt to hold her, whispered cunningly that there were ways to erase the stench of humans from her, to turn her cries to something other than sorrow…

"Yǎn-sui, just a little while longer," she murmured to him, wending her arms around his waist even as he shuddered in dread at the direction his thoughts tempted. "Please." There was no command, no authority; the bond had already stretched to the thinnest thread of spider-silk, ready to snap, and yet…

_'I shouldn't do this,'_ he told himself, lowering his lips to the crown of her head, inviting the myriad layers of scents, fecund divinity and human decay, green river, bitter rain, moldering leaf, and cleansing mist, to fill his nose and mouth, the strands of her hair drying as he breathed on them. _'I must not do this…'_ He traced the delicate outlines of her shoulder blades through the veil of her hair, her skin, soft as the first petals of spring, warming at his touch. Jiān sighed softly, contentedly, relaxing against him, completely unguarded. _'I can't…!'_ She turned her head ever-so-slightly upwards and his gaze moved immediately down the curve of her cheek, to her parted lips. _'I can't…!'_ The world tilted and spun, vertigo snatching him into the dark memory of his dream. It was with desperation that he pressed his lips against hers, wildly seeking the calm sanctuary her touch imparted.

He tasted her tears, bitter yet strangely sweet, and paused. Jiān exhaled a soft moan of protest and reached up to his shoulder, wordlessly encouraging. Her tongue brushed over his lips, teasing against one of his protruding fangs. Growling low in his chest, Yǎn-sui responded, lapping her plump lower lip with his tongue before slipping into her mouth, slowly caressing her. Jiān's mouth curved in a slight smile as she ran her fingers lightly up his ribs, over his chest, entwining at the nape of his neck to provide just enough pressure to bring him in still deeper, to open up to her as well. Yǎn-sui was nothing if not a quick learner; as Jiān arched against him, he took her weight against the length of his arm, paw reaching down and splaying over the back of her thigh, his other paw cupping the side of her face so his thumb stroked over her cheek bone. Jiān gasped as his growl became more pronounced, his lips against hers more demanding.

_'I want her. I want her like I want to breathe. Give Koh the world if He must have it, only let me…!'_

Cool fingers touched his lips and he drew back, startled. "Yǎn-sui…" Her eyes were half-closed, deep-sea darkness limned by glistening tears as she gazed up at him, her fingertips tracing the outline of his mouth, lingering over his fangs. "Don't do it just because I… we both know…" She bowed her head, pulled her hand away from his face, clenching it to her chest. Without warning, she slipped from his arms as easily as mist.

"Jiān…?" he whispered, the horrible emptiness in his chest gaping painfully with dread.

"Yǎn-sui, servant of the Sun God, Lord Agni," she addressed him solemnly, eyes cold and distant. "I, Jiān, Goddess of the River and Daughter of Tui, Lord of the Seas, and La of the Moon, affirm that any and all ties of contract between us are resolved in your service to me and the people of my valley. And…" her regal façade trembled, but her voice did not, "now that you are free of my bond, know that I love you and would ask of you this night, of your own free will."

The mountain might as well have rudely turned itself on its head under his feet, or a battle-ax smashed him on the skull. Even the severing of the bond had been as nothing (something of a disappointment, if he had cared to think about it) compared to her profession, uttered with the same unequivocal conviction that had first made him think her a fool. "…Jiān…?" he managed, strangely dizzy, as though soaring too high above the clouds. "Are you…?"

Jiān's proud posture wilted slightly. "Did I do that wrong? If I told you _before_ I ended the bond, it wouldn't be fair, especially since I wanted you to have a choice in the matter!" She flustered for a moment, then collected herself. "I-I mean, is there a proper way to…?"

"No! No, no… I think you said it well enough," Yǎn-sui reassured her, wondering why his heart seemed to be pounding with _joy_, of all things! She wanted him to choose her, to affirm the madness they shared! He reached for anger, for sanity… but did not find it. "Do you know what you're asking?"

She looked down at her hands, clasped together in front of her, fingers twitching almost nervously. "That's why I wanted to make certain you understood you had a choice. What you told me about how _He_ doesn't allow you to choose, how He manipulates you and even His own daughters so that there's no joy in it at all," she said quietly. "Even now, I wonder if I'm trying to do the same thing, trying to keep you here against your will, but… I don't… I _can't…_ I want you to understand that it can mean something else entirely!"

"What do you intend it to mean?" he asked, not daring to believe that she could offer so much so fearlessly, so completely. His earlier doubts eked their cold tendrils of despair and fear into his heart. Love and lust had robbed him of his senses. He _had_ to be mistaken, had to be mad to…!

Her shrouds fell away in a tumble of feathery whispers. Jiān stepped free, and if there was any doubt as to whether she was the daughter of La, it was banished as the dark waters of the pool and the surrounding bowing bamboo stands were bathed in the pale radiance that limned her form. She smiled shyly at him, tilting her head so that her hair fell about her like a veil.

Yǎn-sui fell to his knees.

"Yǎn-sui, what's wrong?" Jiān exclaimed, hands outstretched, "Don't tell me your wounds are…!"

"It's not that," he ground out, holding up a paw to keep her back, "I… knew you were a goddess."

"… what?" Jiān asked, confused.

"I knew you were a goddess," Yǎn-sui repeated stubbornly, thumping his fist against his knee. His breath came in gasps. "I knew from almost the beginning. But, now… seeing you this way…" _ 'I was doomed from the beginning, the moment you saved my life, the moment I saw you…'_

"Yǎn-sui," Jiān said, gently laying her hands on either side of his face, "You couldn't _possibly_ be making fun of me after all this, could you?"

"I wish I was," he replied in a choked voice. "Without a doubt, you are the most beautiful and desirable thing I have ever seen above or below the world, and I will slay a thousand upon thousand armies single-handedly and annihilate the Abyss itself if it will mean ending this war and returning to you."

"Well, as much as I don't appreciate being called a "thing" or the fact that you're set on mass-murder to come back to me, I suppose it's the thought that counts!" Jiān observed, laughing as tears trembled in her eyes.

Yǎn-sui slowly, carefully laid his paws over the curve of her hips, never breaking her gaze. "Jiān, if I ever cause you pain… if you feel a moment of fear, you must…"

"I won't have to," she interrupted, placing her fingers over his lips, "You won't! I trust you with my life!"

Her determined expression increased her beauty impossibly. "I believe you," Yǎn-sui said with a dark, helpless laugh, nipping delicately at her fingertips.

"Good," she said with a firm nod. "Do you have any other silly arguments?"

"None that come to mind right now, but if I think of them later, can I…?"

"Yǎn-sui. Shut. Up."

"Yes, milady."

* * *

"Do you know… I had to stop myself several times from taking advantage of you."

His mane bristled slightly under her fingers as the demon paused in the attentions he was lavishing with his lips and fangs on the curve of her hip (Jiān had wondered why her hipbones were of such interest, while Yǎn-sui countered that her fixation with his fangs could hardly be termed "normal," and each let the matter rest there). "Hrm… why didn't you?" he asked. "I am… was your slave, you're completely…"

"Tch!" Jiān lightly tweaked the point of his ear, smothering a laugh when it flicked spasmodically in response. "You're deliberately missing the point, Yǎn-sui," she accused, now engrossed in making his ear twitch like a leaf hopper on a hot stone. "It wouldn't have been right."

"If that's the standard you set for yourself," Yǎn-sui grumbled, nosing her side and making her whoop in undignified laughter as she "tried" to twist out of his arms. He grinned wickedly and pulled her on top of him, nipping at her collarbone until she clamped her legs around his torso and levered herself up with her hands splayed on his chest in order to glare at him properly.

"It _is_ the standard I set for myself, and for you, Yǎn-sui," she said sternly, pretending not to notice his paws sliding up over her thighs. "If you love someone, you don't manipulate them, you don't hurt them, you treat them as an equal. And if you… _ooo!_ I _wasn't_ finished!"

"And I wasn't listening," he replied, playing his fangs over the skin of her throat as he eased into her again, growling as she sighed and shuddered against him.

"You're… terrible…" she gasped.

"Demon."

"… true."

* * *

"Jiān…"

"Mmm…?"

"Jiān, please listen to me: you can't stay on this island any longer. It doesn't matter if the humans want you back or not, _He_ will not shrink from using them against you."

"I know." She turned over and touched her forehead to his chest. "I've thought about it ever since Hái-dǎo told us about your father. I knew that, even if we won the battle, it might not mean I still wasn't a danger to everyone." She exhaled a bitter laugh. "I knew, but I didn't want to admit it."

"I understand," Yǎn-sui replied honestly, resting his chin on her head and trailing his claws over her back. "That is why, as soon as you can, you must leave this island and go…"

"… with you to Agni's kingdom."

"Exactly, to the Nor… what?"

"I can't very well go running to my father," Jiān said, frowning up at him. "First of all, how do I get all the way to the North Pole on my own, without attracting attention or relying on others who might be attacked at any minute? Have you escort me?"

"Well…" Yǎn-sui grunted, annoyed that he had not even considered the initial flaw in his plan. Granted, water divinities knew ways of transporting themselves to the locus of their supreme leader's power as easily as they summoned their minions across leagues of separation, but Jiān had been purposefully severed from that knowledge at birth, and he, as a slave of Agni, had not the first idea about it.

"Secondly," Jiān continued, "the reason I've kept out of sight of K… of the Shadowking for so long is because both my parents gave me up for dead. Wouldn't the bargain my mother made with the Shadowking have to be fulfilled if they acknowledged me?"

Again, Yǎn-sui was forced to pause. He had studied the Law under its Keeper, Wan Shi Tong. A contract forged under the Law was as literally binding for Gods as it was for their slaves. Even Koh, the face of Chaos Incarnate, had to obey certain aspects of the Law if he wished to take advantage of any deal made with his captors, hence his lack of control over any demon outside of the Abyss. However, unless they knew the exact words of the bargain between La and Koh, Jiān might be mistaken in her hypothesis. If she was not… "I… don't know. To be certain, I would have to confer with Master Wan Shi Tong," he answered. "He knows from my father what passed between Him and La."

"I want to speak to the Spirit of Knowledge as well," Jiān said with such vehemence that Yǎn-sui looked at her in surprise. "I'm tired of having to be told things and finding out after the fact!" she exclaimed, sitting up and propping herself up on one arm, "This "Law" that orders the cosmos and makes everything go one way and not the other… it's time I knew how it works and what I can do about it!"

"I'm not sure anyone can "do" anything about the Law…" Yǎn-sui pointed out.

"_Furthermore_," Jiān interrupted firmly, "I'm sure you've considered that your son wasn't the only demon the Shadowking sent out to try and eat a god. The only reason he's getting away with it is because my father and Agni are keeping up this silly war, with the Shadowking egging them on. If by becoming your prisoner and presenting my case to Agni, might it not be possible that together, we can convince him to try and make peace so everyone can focus on the real threat!"

"You would… 'become my prisoner'?" Yǎn-sui echoed faintly, looking up at her.

"Well, in name only of course," Jiān explained, a trifle impatiently. "We can't very well walk hand-in-paw up the steps to Heaven's Gate like a couple visiting a shrine, so there has to be an initial _appearance_ at first that you either captured me, or that I surrendered to you, or what-have-you." She glanced at Yǎn-sui, whose bewildered stare had hardened, and waved her hand placatingly. "I'm not asking you to _deceive_ Agni… well, only for a little, and only because the…"

"I will not deceive Lord Agni," Yǎn-sui stated, drawing himself up and bowing his head. "Not even for you. I will explain the situation to my master. Your plan would place you in needless danger."

"… All right," Jiān relented. "But I still think Agni is my best choice. He can stop the fighting, and he has the power to redirect attention to the Shadowking. Even if I'm automatically an enemy just for who I am, doesn't the fact that I would be willing to surrender to him mean that what I have to tell him is that important?"

"More likely that you are an enemy trying to distract the Heavenly Flame from some new stratagem of the Lord of Seas," Yǎn-sui replied automatically. Jiān thinned her lips and puffed at her bangs in exasperation. "Master Wan Shi Tong is the best option, but there is little chance you can get there in a reasonable amount of time," he continued. "Perhaps… you are correct. Surrendering to Lord Agni might prove the best among poor options. My master is neither as cruel nor arbitrary as most, and he will listen if you tell him the truth without pretense." He brushed her bangs from her fang and cupped her cheek in his paw. "Just try to be a little less blunt than you are with me."

"Hm, are you actually encouraging me to be myself, General Yǎn-sui?" she asked with a sarcastic lilt before smiling and throwing her arms around his neck.

"Yes," he answered, wrapping his arms around her, etching her scent and feel into his mind. Once within the Heavenly Gates, she would be swept up into the company of Gods, where she belonged. _ 'I can no longer hold her… I __**must**__ no longer dare to touch her. One night was enough to court the razor's edge. Once she is safe, I go to the Abyss.'_ His chance of survival, in defeat or victory, was slim, had always been, but now, knowing he loved her and that she returned it… for the first time, he felt a tremor in his resolve. _'Don't think about it. Don't give it a chance…'_ "Jiān…"

"It's time to go, I know," she said, reluctantly releasing him. She gathered up her shrouds and slipped into them. "Before we do, though, I'm going to say goodbye to Oh and Hái-dǎo," she said as she rose.

Yǎn-sui frowned. "Why?"

"It would be rude otherwise, so stop pouting," Jiān replied sternly. "I understand you don't like them, but they, especially Oh, were doing the best job they could to carry out your father's wishes."

"Good intentions like as not lose battles, especially when the reasoning behind them is lacking," Yǎn-sui grumbled, getting to his feet and re-tying the robe around his waist. He turned to find Jiān beside him, Tiào-fěi in her hands.

"I won't be long," she said, handing him the blades and standing on tiptoe to brush her lips against his. Yǎn-sui resisted the urge to grab her around the waist and "persuade" her to leave Hái-dǎo in the lurch. She turned away with a faint smile and faded into the mists that screened the summit of Hái-dǎo's mountain.

Yǎn-sui breathed out forcefully through his nose. _'Hopefully, she gets back here before Oh decides to come and scold me about spiriting her off to Agni,'_ he thought, wandering over to the headwater and sitting down on a comfortable boulder. _'The surest way to get down the mountain and out to sea would be the river. But then, Jiān might consider it a violation of her "agreement" with those wretched humans…'_ He bared his fangs and growled, the fancy of crushing some weak skulls between his jaws coming on him rather strongly. _'Focus. If she won't agree to that, then we will have to descend the mountain's western slope and come out on the cliffs below. That would be quicker, but I would have little time to gather enough speed to cross the waters, assuming the worst, that Jiān's chi can only support me on the river infused with her spirit. If we head due east, we might be able to reach the next island just past sunrise, and I can make my appeal to Agni… what is that whistling noise?'_

Just as instinct had overwhelmed his reason and surrendered it to love, it now saved him as dozens of iron-headed arrows rained down from the pre-dawn sky. Even as they thudded into earth and stone like lethal hail, Yǎn-sui had already vaulted from his seat, unsheathing Tiào-fěi and slashing through the shafts as they came at him. _'Who…?'_

Demonic presences. Fire. The sound of wings striking the air through the low clouds. _'Koh is already making his next attempt?' _Blue flames engulfed Tiào-fěi as another shower of arrows fell around him, nipping at his heels; whoever the archer was, he clearly did not intend to kill him, but Yǎn-sui had had enough of arrow-wounds for the time being. He sprinted for the cover of the bamboo forest below, in the direction of Jiān's shrine. _'He's not alone,'_ Yǎn-sui deduced as the arrows ceased to fall, _'One to the left, two coming up from behind - one flanking to the right… those two have Fire. Left… Earth. I'm being herded.'_ He burst into the clearing immediately athwart the shrine and turned about, sweeping a swath of fire up at the first demon who burst through the trembling trunks.

"Too easy!" his pursuer crowed, dispersing the fire with a fierce yellow counter-flare of his own. "Don't be such a poor sport, General, or I won't have anything to brag about!" The stout, grey-skinned demon grinned, whipping his miaodao into a flourishing salute that Yǎn-sui did not return. The small bronze helm perched on his black mane rattled between his thick, pronged horns, an unfamiliar sigil emblazoned on its brim.

"Dōng bù, what is the meaning of this? What business does First White Division have here?" Yǎn-sui asked, not fooled by the other's effusiveness; while Dōng bù had been Huì's immediate subordinate and seemed to share some of his gregarious qualities, Yǎn-sui had made a point of never turning his back on him. _'I wouldn't put it past him to turn renegade if he thought he could win Koh's good graces…'_

"We are no longer part of the First White Division," announced another voice. "We are here in the capacity of an extraordinary detachment, General." The second fire demon, black-maned, red-skinned, and lithe as Dōng bù was burly, paced into view, purposefully circling Yǎn-sui so that his attention would be divided between them. His zhanmadao flickered with contained golden fire as he saluted Yǎn-sui; the same strange design graced the iron band encircling his forehead, just below his slender upswept horns.

'_What in the Abyss is __**he**__ doing with a snake like Dōng bù?'_ "If you're here, Dié, then your partner Shān dū can't be far behind," Yǎn-sui noted lightly, raising his left blade in acknowledgment. "Where's he gone hiding?"

"Wasn't hiding, General." Yǎn-sui glanced out of the corner of his eye and nodded to the massive, scarred blue earth demon lumbering up behind him. _'Perfect triangle positioning. Dōng bù's senior, but the other two don't seem to care, and they're used to working together,'_ Yǎn-sui thought, quickly sizing up his options, '_Huì always said he'd hate to have to take Shān dū and Dié in a fight, Shān dū's the most lethal blighting touch out of any demon in Agni's army and Dié's no slouch with that dao. And both would likely die before they betrayed Agni; does this mean...?' _

Shān dū clasped his leather-gloved fists to his breastplate but declined to bow. "You really shouldn't have run, though; it only encourages Dōng bù."

_'So: Shān dū first, don't give him a chance to take off those gloves, Dōng bù will likely attack the second he thinks I'm focused on Shān dū, Dié will have to step out of his way… Why are they here, now? Who authorized their mission? And where's that wind demon gone off to? I've got to get rid of them quickly before Jiān comes back…!'_

"Oi, I'm not allowed to have fun on this trip?" Dōng bù demanded petulantly. "Agni, why do the secret missions always have to be run by hard-asses!"

Yǎn-sui was about to launch himself at Shān dū when the flapping of wings and a sudden downdraft alerted him to the orange-skinned wind demon just then alighting on the roof of Jiān's shrine, the limb of his over-sized longbow clattering against the tiles. "If I'd known how much bitching would be involved in this hunt, I'd have begged Lord Táifēng to keep a hold of me," the young demon observed, tossing the long tail of his braided black mane over his shoulder. His heavy wings stretched laconically as he notched four arrows to his bow and pointed them at Yǎn-sui. "As for you, General Yǎn-sui, also called the Blue Spirit and God-killer, don't think I don't know what you're planning. I wasn't being serious before, but I'll be more than happy to demonstrate why I'm called Xiǎng mǎ of the Thousand-Slaying Arrows."

"Chaos balls, you wind demons and your nicknames," Dōng bù muttered before smirking at Yǎn-sui. "Well, there you have it. Since my esteemed colleagues seem determined to suck all the fun out of this, I'll just lay it out: Yǎn-sui, _formerly_ Demon General of the Host of Heaven's Flame, you are declared renegade as of the preceding turn of the new moon and must hereby submit to a traitor's death, by order of Lord Agni's Grand Executor, Lord Pī lì."

Odd, how the space surrounding him seemed to empty of sound, of air - not unlike the moment between life and death upon the release of cold fire. It was not the charge, nor sentence of death, no… the name. The name of his enemy. "And he… he is here?" Yǎn-sui found himself asking the frozen nothingness pressing in on him. "Pī lì is here?"

"The Lord Executor attends to the enemy divinity he sensed upon our arrival," Dié's voice came to him from far away, a whisper lost amidst the rising roar of breaking thunder. "General Yǎn-sui, please…!"

The fire demon blinked: Yǎn-sui had vanished.

"Shit! Shān dū, behind you!" Xiǎng mǎ howled from his perch, loosing his arrows in vain at the place their quarry had stood and notching the next set.

The earth demon cast off his binding gauntlets and whirled with the speed of a cracking whip; too slow. Even as his right paw fastened around Yǎn-sui's ankle, his left arm and neck were severed by Tiào-fěi's blades. Yǎn-sui slammed to the ground as Shān dū's death spasm jerked him off-course. Dié's fire blasted over him, but Yǎn-sui was oblivious to the pain. With an impatient snarl, he hurled himself up from the ground, catching Dié's thigh between his horns and flinging him over his head in time to meet Dōng bù's assault.

"In a hurry to catch up to Lord Pī lì?" Dōng bù asked, feinting at Yǎn-sui's right. "Or are you really a traitor like he said, off to defend the water god…?" The miaodao roared with hungry flames as it hurtled down at Yǎn-sui's head.

"I invoke the Inferno." Blue flames nearly dark as midnight spiraled out of his maw, swallowing dao, fire, and wielder in one moment, reducing them to ash. Yǎn-sui side-stepped, narrowly avoiding Dié's thrust from behind.

"I never believed you to be a traitor, General!" Dié panted, yellow eyes flaring with rage as he blocked Yǎn-sui's counter slashes to his neck and side. "But I was wrong!"

"Perhaps," Yǎn-sui replied, glancing Dié's center thrust with Tiào-fěi's left blade and stepping forward to spear him through with the right. "But it no longer concerns you." Claws tore long gashes down his arm as Dié died, his eyes finally going dark even as his maw twisted in a last, defiant snarl. Yǎn-sui slid the corpse of his blade and straightened.

"You are not a fire demon," he said the wind demon behind him. "Your master is a vassal of Sangmu; you have no need to die here."

Sinew, horn, and wood strained… then relaxed. "Can't argue with that, Blue Spirit," Xiǎng mǎ laughed, brining his bow to his side and stepping off the shrine's roof. Yǎn-sui faced him, Tiào-fěi held at rest but ready. Xiǎng mǎ made as though not to notice. "As a matter of fact, I tagged along with this sorry bunch to the four corners of the world on an errand for the Serene Lady. I don't care either way if you slaves of Agni massacre each other."

Yǎn-sui cocked his head, and turned away. "Then scurry back to the East, wind demon."

"You wouldn't happen to have any idea, would you?" Xiǎng mǎ called after him as Yǎn-sui strode away up the mountain. "Where Anu of the Tempest Blades might be?"

"Dead," Yǎn-sui replied, sprinting into the bamboo.

"… Pity." Xiǎng mǎ shrugged and loosed the string from his bow.

A blast of cold fog and super-heated steam nearly sent Yǎn-sui tumbling back down the mountain as he neared the summit, the combined power of two divinities in pitched battle leveling swathes of bamboo, stunted trees, and massive boulders around him. He stumbled, the rotting poison of Shān dū's touch eating at the muscles of his leg as he strove forward and upwards. "Pī lì!" he roared into the blinding white and grey morass whirling about him, water and fire indistinguishable from each other, "**_PĪ LÌ_**!"

White fire lanced through the murk, a knife parting a veil. Jiān gaped down at him from atop an outcropping above Hái-dǎo's boulder, her hands paused in the midst of fashioning flails of water. Yǎn-sui paid her no notice, fixating on the tall, flame-enshrouded figure that stared at him with dumfounded gold eyes.

"Your lackeys are dead," Yǎn-sui snarled. "You're next."

The point of Pī lì's upraised straight sword wavered; the god's mouth tightened to a derisive line. "A slave should know his place, demon," he sneered, tucking his free hand into his flowing crimson robes. "Or do you challenge me for the sake of this goddess, for whom you've turned traitor?"

"I already told you, he's not…!" Jiān began.

"Hypocrite!" spat Yǎn-sui, his body trembling with rage. Tiào-fěi seethed and crackled with tongues of blue-black fire. "You are a stain on the honor of the Heavenly Flame!"

Pī lì's face contorted hideously, the flames surrounding him reeling out with shrieking rage to ensnare the object of his wrath. Jiān cried out, shielding her eyes, the edges of her shroud evaporating at the fire's touch. Yǎn-sui roared and charged headlong at the god, fire charring his hide, devouring his mane, but he did not care, did not feel it, there was only rage, only vengeance, only bloodlust…!

"In the name of Agni, the Heavenly Flame, before his sacred sign, _KNEEL_!"

Yǎn-sui's body flung itself on the ground at Pī lì's feet, Tiào-fěi's flames whisked into nothingness as the blades bit deep into the rock. "What…?"

Above him, Pī lì chuckled, the sound reverberating through his bones and veins like so many insidious worms of lightning. But he could not move! _ 'What is this? Lord Agni's authority? Impossible! He can't… Agni can't have…!'_

"Raise your head, demon," Pī lì purred. "It's only right that I fulfill my duty properly so as to do honor to my father."

Like a puppet on a string, Yǎn-sui's head snapped up, his vision filling with Pī lì's beatifically smug face.

"You're wondering why you are compelled to obey me?" asked Pī lì, his gentle voice nearly breathless with unbridled glee. "I should thank you for the opportunity your perversity against dying quietly handed me. If not for the Blue Spirit, the Demon General himself being suspect of malfeasance and mutiny, disappearing into the ether as you did, I would never have attained my father's notice as the one who could seek out an punish a most dangerous traitor." He raised his hand into Yǎn-sui's line of sight, a thick, circular slab of pure red-gold emblazoned with the Eye of Agni balanced in his palm. "Before this mark, all who serve Agni must bow, God and Demon alike, as the Law demands," Pī lì murmured huskily, his eyes glowing with feverish elation. With a languorous turn of his wrist, he showed Yǎn-sui the obverse, engraved with the device he had seen on Dōng bù and Dié's insignia. "You don't recognize it, no, of course not… the Blue Spirit has no need to pay mind or homage to the marks of _lesser_ gods…"

"Get away from him!" Lashes of water rent the air, but Pī lì swept up a wall of flames that easily devoured the streams.

"I will deal with you in turn, goddess," he said as the wall forced Jiān back. "Stay a while; I think you will find this… educational. You are about to witness what happens to a demon who thinks himself better than his masters."

"Pī… lì…" Yǎn-sui uttered through clenched fangs. "You won't…!"

"Oh, but I will," Pī lì averred pleasantly, tucking the seal back into his robe and sheathing his sword. He tilted his head, his lips sliding into an almost-wistful smile as his hands descended on Yǎn-sui. "You know, I've never had the privilege of removing the Fire from another's chi before… this is going to hurt you a lot, isn't it?" His right hand touched Yǎn-sui's forehead just below his crest, his left flattening against Yǎn-sui's chest.

Yǎn-sui screamed. All fire, all warmth fled his body, tearing his mind and shattering his will; the hungry darkness of the Abyss swept him under, triumphant, ecstatic, malicious. _'Mine now! Mine again! None ever escape me!'_

Pī lì stumbled back as blue-hot fire erupted from the kneeling demon, surging into the one who had bid it. "You… you've wielded cold fire," he muttered, flexing his fingers and absorbing the last of the flames. "How…?" He looked beyond the wall of summoned fire, at the water goddess who even now flung water at his shield in a desperate attempt to reach him… no, to reach the demon now rendered a senseless husk. "So, you did turn traitor, after all," he concluded. "Oh, irony. As interesting as that feat might be to my father, I'm afraid I can't allow you to return to the Heavenly Court to face his judgment. The Law will just have to be satisfied with your execution." He drew his sword.

"The Law…"

Pī lì paused, amazed that the demon could still be capable of speech. "Haven't you realized? I am the right hand of Agni, the Executor of his will and the Law. Do you imagine the Law would deign to service the petty vengeance of a mere demon?" The sword lifted…

"To the Law… before One who Speaks in Its Name… I surrender myself… to Judgment. Let all who hear this plea… bear Witness," Yǎn-sui ground out, baring his fangs in sadistic glee at the confusion, realization, and terror that scrawled across Pī lì's face as his Words became clear.

"Damn you!" he hissed, as the world around them dissolved into light and wind. "Damn you!"

"Yǎn-sui!" Jiān called fearfully as she was swept away in the tide of pure spiritual energy. "Yǎn-sui, hold on!"

**"**_**You who has invoked the Name that Is, come now into this Place, and be Judged…"**_

Yǎn-sui surrendered to the light.

* * *

**A/N: **Um, so... pretty much the penultimate chapter here (excluding the Interlude that's coming up); pretty much everyone's guesses about stories connected to the main narrative will be answered in that chapter, as will the fate of the Blue Spirit. And it will be posted. Very, very, VERY SOON. ^^;


	37. Interlude V: In the Spirit Library

_**Tales of the Spirit Age: Fall of the Blue Spirit**_

Part XXXIII:** Interlude V: In the Spirit Library

* * *

**

_'… and so it was thus that the Blue Spirit gave himself unto the Law, and was thence delivered to righteous judgment…'_

Wan Shi Tong, the Spirit of Knowledge and He Who Knows Ten-Thousand Things* paused as a most unusual sound echoed through the cavernous halls of his library. "Kuzunoha, did I not give strict instruction that there should be a member of the staff attendant upon Professor Zei at all times, in order to ensure his safety among the stacks?"

The spirit fox beside him twitched her tail in annoyance (although Wan Shi Tong could discern a trace of anxiety as well). "Fan was assigned today, since she isn't much use keeping the catalogs," she said to herself, emitting a stressed "purr" of concern, "Don't tell me she let him wander off! Agni's eye, if she has...!"

"I believe our guest has taken to the reading room inside the Water Tribe Archives," the owl noted before Kuzunoha could elaborate. "I have need of a few documents from there in any case, so I might as well check up on him. Perhaps he has made a wondrous new discovery."

"Master, you really ought not to crack jokes in that tone of voice – it's quite wrong," said Kuzunoha with a dismayed flicker of her ears, "I shall come as well, because if Fan _has_ been neglecting her duties…!"

Wan Shi Tong sincerely hoped that Fan would find herself in one of the oubliettes in the lower vaults, rather than run afoul of Kuzunoha for dereliction of duty. Fan was little more than a kit, but Kuzunoha was an exacting administrator who did not view youth as an excuse for error.

As luck would have it, the fox in question met them just outside the reading room. "Oh, Mistress Kuzunoha, I don't know what to do!" she yowled as the pair of spirits approached, "I'm terribly sorry, but the human…"

"Professor Zei," Kuzunoha corrected automatically; all guests of the Spirit Library, human, beast, or spirit, were considered equals, and the trappings of decorum was one way Kuzunoha enforced this principle among her assistants.

"Yes, him!" Fan agreed, obviously too flustered to catch the admonition, "He's been reading this book he found in the Water Tribe History stacks, which _he_ claimed wasn't Water Tribe at all, but something else, meaning it was placed in the _wrong archive_, and all of a sudden, he let out that yell just now, and he's in there saying terrible things about the book having been _vandalized_…!"

Kuzunoha scoffed, but Wan Shi Tong had already glided past his assistant into the ice-blue and snow-white reading room. The owl approached the excitedly muttering human fidgeting like a nesting sparrowkeet about various stacks of manuscripts, scrolls, and books sprawled out over two long tables in some system that no doubt made sense to their organizer.

"Good day, Professor Zei," Wan Shi Tong greeted his guest after several moments' obliviousness on the human's part, "Is something the matter?"

"Oh!" Professor Zei started and whirled around, knocking over a stack of paper-bound codices with his elbow. "Ah! My word, Master Wan Shi Tong, you startled me!"

"It was not my intention," replied the owl with a courteous bob of his head, "But my assistant was worried that you happened upon something that… displeased you?"

Professor Zei blinked rapidly and looked past Wan Shi Tong, to a chastened Fan and a disgruntled Kuzunoha standing in the entryway to the reading room. "'Displeased'…?"

"Professor Zei," Kuzunoha interrupted briskly, "Fan mentioned that your outcry was the direct result of your discovery of a book that was not only incorrectly catalogued…" her amber eyes became quite severe, and Professor Zei flinched, "but was in some way damaged?"

"Ah, yes, although…!" Professor Zei spun around and cautiously gathered up a massive folio, whose cracked leather binding barely managed to contain its brittle yellow pages. "I found this manuscript among some Water Tribe histories I was hoping to reference for a small paper on immigration flows between the southern Earth Kingdom and the South Pole, but I immediately realized that not only was the style calligraphy much older than the neighboring texts, but it was a mode quite similar to that which was favored by eastern Fire Nation scholars predating Avatar Yangchen! And it is not so much "damaged" (although this binding certainly could use some restoration!) as it is incomplete!"

"Allow me to see that?" Wan Shi Tong inquired politely, sweeping a wing over Professor Zei's upraised hands and carefully depositing the folio on an unused stretch of table. The design etched into the front cover eluded him for several moments, until he opened the book and saw characters inscribed on the inner panel. "Ah. _'Tales of the Spirit World: A Compendium of Stories and Legends Most Ancient from the Lands of the Center Sea.'_ Seventh volume in a series, a collaborative effort between scholars over one thousand years ago, although this folio was copied in the last five hundred. The copyist in this case… hm, the scribe who created this manuscript was quite humble, for he only signs himself "Journeyman" in spite of his obvious talent. He does credit the original sources… Wu Helu, yes… Xi Shi, and… ah." Kuzunoha's ears pricked at the excitement and nostalgia in Wan Shi Tong's utterance. "'Taken from the writings of Himavat gi Rinzen phyir 'don-song, the Exiled One.' I had thought all his works lost in that fire."

"Who…?" Professor Zei ventured, when no further explanation seemed forthcoming from the spirit.

"Rinzen of the Himavat Mountains, a master airbender from the age predating the Avatars. A criminal and a heretic, disavowed by succeeding generations of Air Nomads, but a genius nevertheless," Kuzunoha informed him, pacing over to the table and placing a delicate paw on the faded name. "It used to be that those claiming to be free thinkers would invoke him in their writings. If his name is here, then this must be…"

"Yes," Wan Shi Tong agreed, returning from wherever his reminisces had taken him, "_'The Fall of the Blue Spirit,'_ possibly the closest record of those events in human hand today." He turned his head toward Professor Zei. "You are absolutely correct – this manuscript does not belong in the Water Tribe Archives. If there is any place appropriate for it, it is the Fire Nation Archives. Although, considering the changes in history that have occurred since this was recorded, I can see where one of my assistants might have gone astray." (This to Kuzunoha, who seemed to have recalled her vexation at the idea of one of her subordinates committing such a gross error.)

Professor Zei's expression switched from flummoxed to exultant. "I knew it!" he exclaimed, "But doesn't that make this the only surviving text in the Spirit Library from the Fire Nation?"

Kuzunoha yipped a laugh quickly smothered, although Fan was not nearly so discreet. "'The _only_ text'?" the young fox tittered, "Does he honestly think…?"

"My assistants and I have been replacing the volumes lost in the fire set by those vandals since it took place," Wan Shi Tong explained to Professor Zei, "Certain texts, of course, no longer exist in the human world, but between Kuzunoha and I, we will manage."

"But, then… why did…? I thought the library was moved to the Spirit World!" Professor Zei protested.

"Knowledge must have full reign and go where it is sought," Kuzunoha recited in a soft sing-song, "Knowledge is neither confined to the mortal realm, nor the Spirit World. What it _is_ exists and needs both, and thus we, its attendants move freely between them."

"_Thank you,_ Kuzunoha," Wan Shi Tong said with a strangely pointed tone; other than a flicker of the vixen's ears and a droop of her whiskers, Professor Zei would have thought he had imagined it. The owl turned back to the folio, his deceptively blank black stare seeming to bore through the manuscript. "As my assistant says, knowledge does not stop growing simply because I, its manifestation, have elected to absent myself from the world of Men. Humans, whether for good or ill, continue to expand their horizons, and I cannot neglect the responsibility of collecting the fruits of their labors."

Professor Zei was about to press the issue, but a desperate glance and tail-twitch from Kuzunoha changed his mind. "There are footnotes from someone who calls himself the "Archivist" attached to several of the passages ascribed to the main narrative," he said instead, "He was apparently a scholar of wide breadth and exacting standards - did he present this folio to you when he visited your library?"

"No, I wrote those much later as something of a pet project of mine," Wan Shi Tong replied, pausing in the midst of making a notation in small, concise characters at the bottom of one page with an inked calligraphy brush Professor Zei was certain had not been in his claw moments ago, "It is a relief to update my entries. Thank you for finding it for me."

"Oh. Erm, you're welcome," Professor Zei said, abashed.

"Is there something else about this manuscript that you wanted to know about?" Wan Shi Tong asked him, noticing how the professor seemed fairly bursting to ask another question (the way Kuzunoha stared fixedly at the poor man probably had something to do with his hesitation).

"Well..." Professor Zei coughed nervously. "As I said, the Archivist... ah, _you_... made more than a few detailed references to other texts that would supplement the tale, however... ah... there were also references to manuscripts... ahaha... credited to "demons"?"

"Yes," Wan Shi Tong answered.

"Ah, 'yes'?" he echoed, clearly flummoxed, "But, Master Wan Shi Tong... surely you intend that... uh... you can't _possibly_... I mean, this story is clearly an ancient myth, and therefore should not be considered an historical document!"

"There are several points on which colleagues in your own home department at Ba Sing Se University might take exception to that statement," Wan Shi Tong said coolly, although he sounded more amused than angry, "But their arguments would be on points of semantics - what I believe you protest is the ability of demons to have contributed anything to the store of the world's knowledge? Or, perhaps, the existence of demons themselves?"

"Well, of course!" the professor exclaimed excitedly, "Demons are nothing more than figures in ancient stories - to claim otherwise and cite documents "written" by them passes from respectable academia into the realm of fantasy!"

"Professor Zei...!" Kuzunoha began, her tail like a brush of needles and her eyes flaring with touches of crimson.

"Kuzunoha, allowances have to be made," Wan Shi Tong reminded her calmly, "If gods and spirits are forgotten to men, why not demons?" He looked down at Professor Zei; although his tone was friendly, the man could not help a small shiver of anxiety at being scrutinized by such ageless, dispassionate eyes. "Professor Zei… of your colleagues at your esteemed institution, how many believe in the existence of the Spirit Library?"

Professor Zei reflected mere moments. "None of them; I'm afraid your Library has become nothing more than a myth, even among the most learned men," he admitted, quite embarrassed, "I don't doubt many of my former colleagues believe I perished in the desert on a foolhardy search."

"Just so," Wan Shi Tong said with a satisfied bob of his head.

"But there's a difference!" Professor Zei protested immediately, "I _knew_ the Spirit Library existed! There were just too many stories, too many documents to mean otherwise!"

"Ah, but you had never seen my Library with your own eyes until just recently," Wan Shi Tong riposted, "Up until then, all you had was faith, and documents that had not _yet_ been proved false, am I right? It was a wise man who said that the most difficult proposition for a man of reason is to prove a negative. So, tell me, Professor Zei – can you prove to me, absolutely, that demons did _not_ exist?"

"I… er…" Professor Zei lifted his hands up helplessly. "I surrender to your skilled rhetoric, Master Wan Shi Tong: I cannot prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that demons do not exist. However, I still protest this story being treated as an historical document!"

Kuzunoha sighed and swished her tail. "You humans are such a hard-headed lot, for all your chaotic nature," she said, dropping down from the table and looking up at the human, "I suppose that unless you were to see a demon with your own two eyes, you doubt that my master speaks truthfully?"

"Ah, I didn't mean any rudeness, madam," Professor Zei hurried to say, suddenly aware that he had just insulted his host, "I just…!"

"Kuzunoha, do please stop being so hard on him," Wan Shi Tong said with a sound that might have been a laugh or a sigh, "I respect your position, Professor, and would not presume to force you to believe in something that for an age has existed only as a half-remembered nightmare among your kind. However…" His wing swept over the open folio, gathering it up into his body, "would you care to hear the end of the tale?"

"'The end of th…' Master Wan Shi Tong, you remember what was missing from that manuscript?" Professor Zei asked excitedly.

"Yes," the spirit owl replied, his voice suddenly softer, farther away, "I remember everything that happened there, that time so long ago, when Yǎn-sui, my first and last demon student, invoked the Law and rendered himself to Judgment before the Gods and the Law Itself…"

* * *

**A/N: **Right, so "the Archivist's" identity is finally revealed – I wonder if anyone guessed that it was the Spirit of Knowledge himself! So yeah... Wan Shi Tong has a personal stake in the _Fall of the Blue Spirit_, which is why he's now going to set the record straight on what no human has known for a couple thousand years.  
Next chapter (should) be the last chapter - thank you all so much for reading my story and commenting! I hope the finale does not disappoint!


	38. Finale: In the Place of Judgment

_**Tales of the Spirit World: Fall of the Blue Spirit**_

__Part XXXIV: **In the Place of Judgment**

* * *

"_To call upon the Law, even in the Age when your mortal plane and the Spirit World had not yet divided, was a serious matter," began Wan Shi Tong. "The gods themselves, though aspects of the Law made manifest, rarely invoked Its pure form out of fear of what would follow, for It is wholly just and without mercy. From their fear came ignorance, and whence the reason I came to be: as the Spirit of Knowledge, I am also the Keeper of the Law, Its transcriber and interpreter; a "middle-man" of sorts, certainly less frightening to deal with. However, my knowledge can only benefit those who seek me out. In Y__ǎ__n-sui__'s case, by virtue of his father's intervention and guidance, he alone among demons did so. That is how Y__ǎ__n-sui__ knew how to invoke Its Authority at the moment of greatest peril. As I said, even the gods feared to call upon the Law, but such was his desperation that he had no other choice._

_ "I remember the Summons, like the pull of a riptide, sweeping me away from the mortal plane, irresistible and without warning. The Law binds all that is, and It created the place of Judgment in the space between physical and spirit, that which has been called the Godless Plain..."_

* * *

'_My human patrons would be disappointed to learn how little imagination the Law possesses,'_ he thought, clicking his beak and surveying the featureless grey room in which he found himself. Perhaps "room" was misleading: the length, breadth, and height of the bounded, silent space seemed limitless even to his sharp awareness. It was also boring to look at, and the Spirit of Knowledge wished himself back in the echoing green halls of his precious Library. _'Whatever mess called me here had better be resolved in a timely fashion; I have other appointments to attend to._'

"So, it appears the Law deigned to attend the howls of a traitorous slave, after all," someone's haughty voice complained in the distance, shattering the stillness. A god, obviously, of Agni's ilk from the flare of presence that accompanied his heated exclamation.

_'Ah, so this is the one who caused me to be summoned here_ ' Wan Shi Tong deduced, swiveling his head around in the general direction of the other's presence.

"What... Where... How...?!" Another, feminine; puzzling, in that it bore the weight of Water and Moon in the same breath.

_'Fire and Water together call upon the Law? Dare I hope that Agni and Tui, or at least their progeny, have come to their senses?'_ He spread his wings and glided toward the voices, afire with curiosity. Whatever hope he might have had, however, was quickly dashed, for as soon as he came upon them, it was all too clear that the pair of divinities were about to fly at each others' throats.

"For shame, that Agni's own Executor would contemplate violence in this place of Law," Wan Shi Tong admonished, alighting between the two and fixing the Fire god face-to-face with a hard stare, "I expected better of you, Lord Pī lì."

"Master Wan Shi Tong," Pī lì greeted with a bow, his scowl immediately sliding into a serene mask, "My apologies, but…"

"And who are you, that you would violate the sanctity of Judgment with conflict?" Wan Shi Tong asked, craning his neck over at the female divinity. He blinked, startled by the garish crimson slashes that marred her white face and the funereal shroud clinging to her. '_If I didn't know better, I would say those are demonic Signs…'_

"A-Ah, I'm Jiān. Of the River!" the goddess flustered, bowing too deeply in embarrassment. Her deep sea-blue eyes stirred another memory in Wan Shi Tong.

_'Eyes of sea and night, and La's crest of protection… marks of the Demon race…'_ The spirit drew up to his full height, perplexed. _'Could she be the one Zhāng-nán…?'_ Just then, a third presence intruded upon his awareness.

"It has been a long time, Master Wan Shi Tong," a blue-skinned demon kowtowed from a distance removed from the trio of higher beings.

"Last?" Wan Shi Tong bit out, forgetting his former pupil's proper given name in his surprise. Much the worse for wear since last they had met, the demon reeked of poison and ash and wore little more than a tattered, singed robe that had once been white. Blood from several slowly-healing wounds painted the floor with smears of deep crimson. "Why are you here?" the spirit demanded, gliding over beside him.

"I am the one who invoked the Law," Yǎn-sui answered in a flat, formal voice, sitting up on his heels and spreading his paws on his knees, "The Lord Executor of the Heavenly Flame has charged me with treason. I have placed myself at the mercy of the Law to decide my guilt or innocence." Beside him, encased in a burned and mangled scabbard, Zhāng-nán's horns quivered, speaking violent intent.

Wan Shi Tong cocked his head to one side, imagining the demon had misspoken. _'The Blue Spirit, a traitor?'_ Stranger things had come to pass, but nothing came to mind at the moment. Something else bothered him about the arrangement. _'Zhāng-nán's killer, La's stolen daughter, and Agni's executioner, all together before the Law? A strange collusion of coincidence,'_ he thought, staring down at Yǎn-sui as a strange sense of dread coursed through him. Neither time nor place was fit to satisfy his personal concerns, however. Mindful of his duties, Wan Shi Tong stretched out his wing toward Yǎn-sui. "If you are the accused, you must surrender your weapon to me," he stated, "and your Flame must be sealed…" He turned his head to one side, eyes widening. _'No Fire?! It hasn't just been sealed, it's not there at all!'_

"I believe you have taken note of the traitor's disposition, Master Wan Shi Tong," Pī lì interjected, just managing not to sound smug, "The demon before you has already been judged and I was in fact about to deliver his sentence when he shamelessly invoked the Law. It is my contention that…"

"Lord Pī lì, I would advise you against getting ahead of yourself," Wan Shi Tong cautioned, sweeping his wing over Tiào-fěi (the horns-turned-swords did not take kindly to being folded into the spirit's being, and struggled mightily), "The full complement of witnesses to the Judgment of the accused has not yet arrived, and you would do well to refrain from issuing your opening statement before they are present to hear it."

"There will be other witnesses?" Pī lì demanded, momentarily losing his composure as he stared at Wan Shi Tong, "But, this goddess is…!"

"The charge is treason; the Judgment requires the presence of the one against whom the alleged treason was committed," Wan Shi Tong intoned, turning to face the agitated god, "Your... undue haste in the matter of passing sentence shall be excused this once, in light of your inexperience with your new title.

"Furthermore," the owl continued, before Pī lì could interrupt, "This Water divinity has been called as witness by the accused. Just as your Lord shall come here, so too shall her Lord and Lady. The Balance must be maintained."

Several moments of stunned silence crawled by as the import of Wan Shi Tong's words sank in.

"My lord father... Tui _and_ La, here?" Pī lì exclaimed, his voice an unaccustomed harsh rasp of disbelief and consternation.

The goddess clasped her hands to her mouth, eyes wide, though whether from surprise or horror, Wan Shi Tong could not ascribe.

"Master Wan Shi Tong, I do not understand!" Yǎn-sui exclaimed, struggling to his feet and staggering forward as his mutilated left leg folded under his weight, "Why…?"

"If you did not consider the consequences, you should not have taken action. I thought you learned that lesson long ago," Wan Shi Tong interrupted, turning his head around to glare at Yǎn-sui. There was nothing that vexed the Spirit of Knowledge more than the reckless abuse of learning he had bestowed in good faith.

He was about to continue in his rebuke when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the white flutter of the goddess's shrouds as she moved toward the demon. Yǎn-sui's eyes widened at her, one paw half-raised in a warning gesture. She froze and glanced over at Pī lì; the god had not noticed, apparently too absorbed in recalculating his strategy in light of Wan Shi Tong's revelation to pay any heed to the others. Seeing this, the goddess tilted her head, her expression stern, almost chiding. The demon shook his head and drew himself upright, putting his weight on his less injured leg.

To Wan Shi Tong's surprise, the goddess exhaled an annoyed hiss, hands clenching in her sleeves as if to restrain the urge to rush forward and _help_ the stubborn demon.

The wordless exchange eclipsed all of three counts, but it spoke volumes to Wan Shi Tong. _'It can't be that. No one is that unfortunate,'_ he thought in dismay, suddenly all too mindful of the last shreds of Zhāng-nán's presence tucked away within his wing. For some reason, he drew alongside Pī lì, further blocking the god's view of the proceedings. It was not his place to get involved, impartial arbiter that he was supposed to be, but...

The space warped and shuddered, flooding with the unveiled presences of the three most powerful beings in Creation. Tui, dark and solidly built as a fortification, his frosted iron whiskers streaming seawater down his fur-trimmed black elephant koi-scaled tunic; La, ghostly, shimmering silver and veiled in a swath of night-blue clouds, the flowing tendrils of her long pearlescent hair floating around her like a living shroud of mist; Agni, tall as his brother and pale as he was dark, gaunt and fierce as the sword sheathed at his side, his single, burning eye tearing through the grey space and setting it aglow with crimson-gold light.

Lesser gods, spirit, and demon alike bowed, the latter pressing his face into the floor as custom demanded.

"What is this?" Agni spoke first, eye fixed on his twin. "For what cause has the Law seen fit to bring me into the company of this…?" The sun god's hand slashed across the air in front of him, the trailing sleeve of his fiery robe crackling with the vehemence his tongue curbed.

Tui pretended to ignore the insulting gesture. "Eloquent as always, brother," he replied. "Be grateful for the reprieve, for your Southern army was about to face defeat yet again at my hands ere we were so abruptly summoned to this place."

The light dimmed as Agni's eye narrowed to a slit, and the air shivered and shimmered with the waves of angry heat rolling off his form. Tui smirked, cold flooding from his parted lips. Heat and cold swirled around each other, the twin gods' animosity feeding a rising storm.

"Stop this." La stepped between the building currents, dispersing them. "Let there be one wretched moment's peace between you," she continued, lapis eyes piercing through her translucent veil as she stared first at Tui, then Agni.

"As the lady wishes," Agni agreed with a wry twist of his lips. "After all, I never act if it should vex you."

La stiffened, then turned away without a word, her hand gliding over Tui's clenched fist and clasping it. "Master Wan Shi Tong," she said to the spirit, "forgive my brothers. We have answered the Summons, and would know what the Law wills of us."

"Nothing, milady, save that you bear witness to the Judgment that shall be made here," Wan Shi Tong replied.

"'Judgment'?" Tui echoed, looking away from his estranged sibling for the first time. "What matter could be so important as to demand that I should have to endure the…" La's hand tightened on his "… that could demand the presence of Ocean, Moon, and Sun?"

"The charge is treason," the spirit informed him, slipping into the detached mode of his official role. Stepping to one side, he beckoned the three waiting behind him to step forward. "Grand Executor, Lord Pī lì of the Heavenly Flame, has charged Supreme Demon General of the Army of the Heavenly Flame, Yǎn-sui, also called the Blue Spirit, with treason against his lord and master, God of the Heavenly Flame, Agni. By invocation, said accused has rendered himself unto Judgment before the Law, and has moreover called as witness this goddess, Jiān of the River. As now are all assembled, the Judgment shall begin."

If one were to accuse Wan Shi Tong of enjoying the reactions of the various parties assembled, the spirit would, without scruple, dispute such claim as slanderous. He merely observed and took note, as was right and proper for an impartial middleman. La, he saw, paid no mind to the god or the demon; through her veil, she regarded the river goddess with the air of one stricken. Jiān, meanwhile, clasped her hands to her sides, clenching the material of her shrouds as her gaze flickered between Tui and La, scrutinizing them with the fearful hunger of an abandoned fox kit yearning for its mother.

Tui, oblivious to La's distress, stared at Pī lì, shock and the slightest edge of fear glinting in his blue-black eyes, while Agni scowled at his progeny, then transferred his half-blinded gaze to his still-prostrate slave. "Why should the Law be invoked for a slave, Pī lì, if you were carrying out your duty and bringing him to me?" he asked in a gentle, dangerous voice. "Surely you did not presume to deliver sentence in my name upon the slave that had so grossly violated the sanctity of the Fire within him in my place, did you?"

"Lord Father…!" Pī lì began, panic marring his mellifluous voice.

"Did you?" Agni repeated, even more softly.

"I…" Pī lì's voice hardened and he drew himself up to his full height. "I will suffer the consequence of my presumption, Father, but first, I am called upon to fulfill my duty before the Law as your Executor."

"Yes…" Wan Shi Tong shuddered as cold fire seemed to prickle over his manifest form, but Pī lì did not waver. "Carry on, Executor," Agni said. "As for you, Yǎn-sui: rise, and face your accuser."

The demon obeyed, his stance steadier as the wound in his leg appeared almost healed now. "My Lord Executor," he said to Pī lì. "I await your indulgence."

Pī lì's eyes narrowed, and Wan Shi Tong was certain the god would strike the demon down, Law or no Law. But Pī lì's mask of composure reasserted itself. "Keeper of the Law and witnesses assembled," he began, turning away from Yǎn-sui and addressing Wan Shi Tong, "I submit that this Judgment is a mockery of Law, and ask that the proceedings be suspended forthwith."

"An interesting choice for your opening statement, Lord Pī lì," replied Wan Shi Tong, realizing the tack Pī lì was taking. _'Well, he's not called "cunning" for nothing.'_ "By what argument do you base your claim?"

"Simply this," Pī lì stated, warming to his bold gambit, "the Law required the presence of both Fire and Water because of the supposed entanglement of both in this accused's spurious and insolent claim. However, I would assert that, as of this moment, the accused stands aligned neither with the forces of Agni, nor with those of Tui!"

"What?!" Wan Shi Tong clicked his beak and winced as the river goddess glared at Pī lì, making no effort to conceal her rage or disgust. "How dare you say that?" she continued, stabbing her finger at him, "_You're_ the one who threw him on his face in Agni's name and stripped him of his fire because you weren't strong enough to beat him in a fair fight!"

Pī lì sneered, and Wan Shi Tong finally understood what one of his human patrons meant when she had said she wanted to "smack that smirk right off his face," in reference to one of her more odious colleagues. "As this goddess demonstrates, if we were to proceed any further, we would make a mockery of the Law," he purred with unctuous disdain. "Clearly, the association with the accused has corrupted her understanding of the rites observed before the Law."

"The witness shall abstain from further commentary until her testimony is called for," Wan Shi Tong directed. "The Executor shall also abstain from casting irrelevant aspersions in the course of his statement."

Jiān startled, looking abashed. La, standing behind her daughter, drew her veil more closely around her face while Tui folded his arms, annoyed that one of his own should be called on a point of order. This amused Agni, whose lips twitched into a momentary smirk at his brother's discomfiture. Yǎn-sui, who had managed to maintain a stoic façade during Pī lì's posturing, ground his fangs and glared at the god.

Pī lì, ecstatic, gave his own reprimand passing notice. "As all here can attest," he declared, "no Flame currently resides within the accused. And if Water should be found in him, then…" he spread his palms in feigned helplessness, "… the charge of treason will have been doubly confirmed and proven my argument twice over. His sentence on charges made while the Flame of his contract to my Lord Father still resided within him of course must still stand, but I submit to you that the accused is nothing more than a masterless demon, and thus has no standing here before the Law."

It was a fair argument, with only one or two flaws that Wan Shi Tong could detect. Nevertheless, he was certain Pī lì's cunning would deal with them and that Yǎn-sui's fate was sealed. Tui and La had no reason to defend one of their enemy's slaves, and Agni seemed committed to his destruction in any case. Even if the river goddess had a chance to speak, the spirit doubted she could say anything to tilt the scales in the demon's favor.

With victory in his grasp, but too far gone in his own rhetoric, Pī lì made his single, fatal mistake.

"The accused has no standing," Pī lì repeated triumphantly, staring Yǎn-sui dead in the face. "Unless, perhaps, Koh himself should submit that he does."

The name echoed through the space, the insidious whisper of a breaking tempest.

The demon's eyes went wide, dilated. "_Fool_," he rasped, his paw snaking out to grasp the front of Pī lì's robes as his body trembled violently, "He comes…" Without warning, Yǎn-sui threw his head back, clutching at his horn, screams of agony tearing out of his throat.

Pī lì wrenched himself free of Yǎn-sui's grip and stumbled back, sputtering in anger and confusion.

"This can't happen," Agni breathed, although his hand was already around the hilt of his sword. Tui and La both moved to stand beside him, all anger, resentment, and hatred for the moment forgotten.

Jiān sprinted forward, grabbing Yǎn-sui by the wrists as he fell to his knees, shouting to be heard over his howls, "Fight him, Yǎn-sui! You don't have to let him through! He doesn't control you!"

With a shriek, Yǎn-sui doubled over backwards, ripping his arms out of Jiān's hands, his horns touching the soles of his feet, and fell silent. The dreadful quiet pressed in on them, stifling, numbing… expectant.

"Yǎn-sui…?" Jiān whispered, venturing to touch his rigid hide.

"_NO!_" La cried, snatching her daughter back from the demon as shadows thick and black as tar poured from his gaping maw and eyes, coalescing in the monstrous, elongated body of Chaos Incarnate, the Face-stealer Koh.

"Well, well, well," the white-faced, scarlet-lipped abomination chuckled, rearing up on his tenth segment and ripping the spiked end of his tail from Yǎn-sui's head with a sickening squelch, "Why so surprised, Grand Lord Executor? You called me, and I have answered." The many voices echoing in his words cackled in horrific cacophony.

To his credit, Pī lì's expression changed not a whit as he faced the Enemy of the Gods, his voice failing him for the first time.

"You have entered the place of Judgment, but you have destroyed the very reason you were summoned, Koh," Wan Shi Tong admonished, attempting to assert control over the situation as fear clawed at his being. Zhāng-nán's horns, having stilled at the sound of his father's name, redoubled their efforts to escape, and it took all of the spirit's willpower to restrain them.

"Oh…?" Koh drawled, switching his face to that of a green-scaled sea serpent. "You're mistaken, owl. Get up, my dear child. Everyone is anxious to know you are well."

Wan Shi Tong blinked as Yǎn-sui stirred, groaning and retching as he turned onto his paws and knees. The Face-stealer flicked a purple forked tongue between his scaly lips, eying Wan Shi Tong expectantly. Yǎn-sui raised his head and stared up at Koh in abject terror.

"Ah…!" the river goddess gasped, writhing free of her mother's arms, her hand reaching out to the demon.

As quick as a scorpion striking, Koh whipped around, thrusting his face into hers. "And who might you be, little one?" the ghoulish white demonic visage inquired, the lurid pink eyes in their black sockets sweeping over her red-painted face.

"No one who gives her name to the likes of _you_," she snarled, face blank like swept desert sand.

"Hmmm, interesting makeup scheme you've chosen, I must say," Koh said with a grin, showing off a mouthful of delicate, needle-pointed teeth. "It suits you."

"Leave her alone, Koh," Tui snapped, advancing on the pair, rage trembling in his voice though his face was dispassionate as an ice wall. "Torment one of my subjects, and you invite my wrath."

"Neither shall I tolerate the harassment of a divinity in this sacred place," Agni chimed in, flanking Koh and presenting his half-sheathed sword. "Remember what this blade did to your foul carcass before you take liberty with the Gods."

"Can you stand, Yǎn-sui?" Wan Shi Tong whispered, drawing his wing in front of the demon's face to break the trance of terror the sight of Koh worked on him.

The demon started and cast a grateful glance up at the spirit. "Yes; my thanks, Master Wan Shi Tong," he uttered, climbing to his feet, head clutched in his paw. "This was never my intention," he added through clenched fangs, staring at the river goddess. "What will happen now?"

"… That I do not know," the spirit admitted, watching the stand-off between ageless enemies, realizing the bitter edge of his finite Knowledge. _'Law that Orders Creation, the avatar of Chaos has invaded this Place. Guide me!_'

"How charming," Koh remarked, eyes flicking back and forth between the brother gods. "If only you hadn't locked me in that obnoxious prison, you might never have turned on each other. Don't you think so, La?"

La pulled her veil from her face, features cold and inscrutable. "Brothers, do not attempt to attack him here; this is a place of Judgment," she said. Agni and Tui glanced back at her, hesitant to stand down. "Here, the Balance is perfect, and those who profane it with violence shall have that violence turned upon them. Look closely: his being is diminished. He has left part of himself back behind the Gate. We cannot strike and hope to destroy him."

Koh bared his fangs at her. "Lovely La, so keen of sight and cold of intellect, your memory serves you better than it does your brothers," he whispered in sing-song, his clawed limbs clattering over the ground as he drew back from the trio of divinities. "But I've had enough playing with you fools. Let the overseer of this Judgment appear, so that my dear child may have the Justice he deserves."

_'"Overseer"?'_ Wan Shi Tong's eyes widened. _'Of course! If Chaos manifests, so must Order, the Law to balance, else this place return to nothing.'_

"Come out, Law!" Koh shouted, face warping into that of a crimson dragon, the bellow of his challenge throbbing through the space as though to tear it apart. "Show your Face to me! I have answered your call, now answer mine!"

_"Peace, Koh, still your howls,"_ the great lion turtle murmured through its broad, brown maw, the terrain-encrusted vault of its shell and the massive trunks of its four gnarled limbs taxing the limits of the space around them. _"We have come to maintain the Balance, and deliver Judgment upon your spawn."_

"Ah, "Kurma" is it, this time?" Koh asked, returning to his first face, a broad, hideous smile stretching his scarlet lips. "Trust you to choose that body. You always did like to show off."

_"The Judgment shall proceed,"_ Kurma rumbled, golden eyes drifting over to Wan Shi Tong. _"Spirit of Knowledge, you have fulfilled your purpose. If you wish to return to your Library…"_

"My Lord!" Wan Shi Tong interrupted, bowing, "I, too, shall bear witness to this Judgment."

_"Very well."_ The ponderous, ancient head shifted, its gaze settling next on Pī lì. _"God in Whom Fire is Manifest, Executor of Agni, we have heard your statement. Your conditions have been met. Proceed with your case against the accused."_

Wan Shi Tong did not blame Pī lì for what followed. The brilliant ego seldom sees the pitfalls its own pride sets before it, and the shock of best laid plans dissolving into dust has enervated many a strong mind. Pī lì, the cunning god, had lost all confidence. Shaken by the discovery of his plot, his father's censure, his own accidental summoning of Koh, facing the Law manifest Itself was simply too much. As the Law pressed him for the proof of his charge, Pī lì stumbled over practiced half-truths and insinuations, eyes darting everywhere but settling on nothing, turning and twisting about until it became painfully obvious to Wan Shi Tong that the god had backed himself into a dangerous corner.

As if aware of the spirit's thoughts, Pī lì rallied for one last desperate charge. "And with my own eyes, I saw the accused rush to the aid of this river goddess, with whom it now seems clear he spent his missing days, and bare both sword and fire against me to defend her!" he thundered, thrusting his finger at Jiān. "If there was no clearer act of treason by a soldier of Agni, then treachery is no crime!"

This declaration, unlike his previous obfuscations, rang with unvarnished Truth. Wan Shi Tong hooted softly, resisting the urge to shake his head. Yǎn-sui had no hope, now.

For some reason, Koh's smile stretched ever wider.

_"The Executor has stated his case,"_ breathed Kurma. _"Accused, what do you have to say in your defense?"_

"I am innocent of all crimes the Lord Executor has charged me with, save that I raised fire and sword against him," Yǎn-sui stated. "As proof of my innocence in all matters but this, I call upon the witness of Jiān of the River, to whom I have until yesterday been bound by force of life-debt."

Because of Koh's presence, no one's expression changed, but Yǎn-sui's revelation had the effect of a bolt of lightning thrown into the midst of them. La's hand covered her mouth below her veil, while Tui and Agni could only look on in mute bewilderment. Pī lì, Wan Shi Tong noticed, seemed more desperate than surprised. '_Another thread unravels from your scheme,'_ the spirit thought darkly.

_"Does the demon speak the Truth, river goddess?"_ the lion turtle asked Jiān.

"He does," she declared, holding back the dangerous smile of triumph that threatened to appear.

_"Reveal to us the nature of this life-debt,"_ Kurma sighed, its eyes fixed on Koh, who strained forward to listen with greedy attentiveness that unsettled Wan Shi Tong.

Unlike Pī lì, Jiān spoke with certainty, her language straightforward to the point of bluntness, as if she did not consider humility before the Law important. It should have offended him, but Wan Shi Tong found himself absorbed, a strange yearning for his familiar Library enveloping him. As she described her river valley and the humans who lived there, Wan Shi Tong understood: she loved her river and everything that it encompassed to the point where even humans were a part of her. There was nothing of the War in her, that cruel division of spirit and nature and creation that plagued the world. He had done well to advise Zhāng-nán to hide her on that island, though the spirit wondered what Zhāng-nán had had to promise in order to secure the reclusive Hai-dao's cooperation.

The goddess's tone shifted abruptly as she described the massacres of her humans and the ruination of her valley. Confusion, grief, rage, suffering, for one who had been spared the horrors consuming the rest of the world… small wonder she had seized on the warrior that had fallen into her lap to fight her battles. It was here that the first hints of concealment entered her testimony. Wan Shi Tong sensed the hidden questions she did not give voice to: why had the demons attacked her valley? Who were they? What quirk of Fate had delivered Yǎn-sui, the Blue Spirit, the first among the demon-slaves of Agni, into her hands? These were not questions she was required to answer, of course, because the simple Truth of the life-debt was more than enough to clear Yǎn-sui of the charges Pī lì had flung at him. It worried Wan Shi Tong all the same, especially since Koh seemed enraptured by the unfolding tale.

"… and after Yǎn-sui killed the last demon, I released his bond," Jiān concluded, hands folded into her voluminous sleeves. "It was soon after that Pī lì entered the neutral territory of my protector's island, attacking me without provocation. And Yǎn-sui…!"

_"You have borne witness, goddess,"_ interrupted the lion turtle. "_We accept the Truth of the life-debt."_

"Then you know Yǎn-sui's innocent!" Jiān asserted. "Pī lì's the traitor, not him! _He's_ should be the one on tri- !"

_"You have borne witness. That is enough,"_ Kurma repeated firmly, the low thunder of his voice causing the ground to tremble.

The goddess's eyes flashed, but she inclined her head in acquiescence.

_"All charges save one have been answered,"_ intoned the Law, his gaze falling once more on Yǎn-sui. _"Has the accused an answer for this last charge?"_

Yǎn-sui squared his shoulders, lips curling back from his fangs. "Of that last, I am guilty," he declared. "But I am not guilty of treason. I acted solely to eliminate a most foul traitor from Glorious Lord Agni's ranks."

"You…!" Pī lì gasped, clenched fist bursting with fire, eyes crackling with hatred. Behind his son, Agni's eye narrowed. _'He never fully trusted Pī lì to begin with,'_ Wan Shi Tong realized. _'Y__ǎ__n-sui__ can't lie in the presence of his master, or at least, the one he considers his master. But that would mean…'_ The spirit finally understood the strange horror in Tui's face upon seeing Pī lì. '_No wonder Pī lì risked his father's wrath to execute Y__ǎ__n-sui__ on his own.'_

Yǎn-sui ignored Pī lì's bluster. "By Law, I must offer proof of this charge," he said to Kurma, "but I stand accused of the same crime, and there are no other witnesses I may call in my defense. If it pleases You, I will prove my innocence and his guilt with my body."

The flames guttered out in Pī lì's hand. "'With your body'?" he echoed, incredulous. "You would dare to commit violence, _here_, in the presence of these Gods and...?!"

_"The accused invokes a most pure Law,"_ Kurma rumbled. _"Death was placed in the scales at your charge, Executor, and so Death shall be your Judge. We shall witness upon whom It delivers Judgment."_

Pī lì's jaw clenched. "If this is what the Law dictates…" he ground out. Turning to Yǎn-sui, the loathing in his eyes abated, replaced by the manic confidence borne of desperation. "You might have defeated me once in a friendly duel, Yǎn-sui, but you can't borrow my father's strength now." He drew his dao. "And I am many times stronger than I was then."

"I don't doubt you've picked up some useful tricks in the meantime," Yǎn-sui agreed calmly. "But Huí shall have his revenge and the world will see you for the traitor you are."

"Yǎn-sui, here!" Wan Shi Tong called out, opening his wing and releasing the Tiào-fěi. The swords flew to the demon's waiting paw. "Now the field is even," the spirit observed, not quite able to conceal the glee in his voice at the way Pī lì glared at him. _'At least, it's as even as it can be between a god and demon without any divine presence to help him…'_

Jiān, he noticed, seemed much of the same mind, for her anxious gaze followed Yǎn-sui as he turned to face his accuser. Kurma exhaled, and the space surrounding Pī lì and Yǎn-sui shifted, swelling outwards so that all others were moved over the blank ground like so many leaves floating on a pond, forming a large ring around the combatants.

_"Begin,"_ said Kurma.

Yǎn-sui did not wait for the echoes of its rolling voice to fade, rushing Pī lì dead-on, both blades stretched behind him. The god easily side-stepped the artless attack, his flaming dao crackling down on Yǎn-sui's exposed neck. But the demon was not there.

"HA!" Yǎn-sui roared, slamming his shoulder into Pī lì's back, knocking the god off-balance. He waited for Pī lì to turn around, anger and shock contorting the god's face. "Just so you know, I never took that duel between us seriously," he said, reversing the grip on his left blade and holding up his right one in mock salute at Pī lì.

Pī lì's face flushed scarlet, then blanched dead-white. "Insolent SLAVE!" he roared, whipping his dao up over his head, then bringing it down.

_'Lightning?'_ Wan Shi Tong recognized the stance. Yǎn-sui remained rooted in place. _'Has he forgotten he has no way to counteract it?'_

Pī lì's lips twisted into a demented sneer. Lightning arced from his fingers, the brilliant white streams streaking toward the waiting demon…

… who had vanished. "You always overcommitted yourself," he told Pī lì, slicing open the god's robes as Pī lì wheeled away just in time to avoid being split head-to-toe. Yǎn-sui did not allow him to escape this time, but followed, low and fast, his left blade ripping up Pī lì's thigh and across his torso as he turned, bringing his right blade around to bear once more.

The god bit down against the pain as red flames gushed from the wounds, sealing them. He parried the sweep of the demon blade that would have sliced his head off, tried to unleash a handful of flames point-blank into Yǎn-sui's face, only to nearly lose his hand to the second blade. Sensing the trap, Pī lì broke free of the block, whirling away and unleashing a wall of fire around his body. Heat seared the air, warping the space like melting glass. Yǎn-sui threw up his forearms, Tiào-fěi's blades pointed downward to receive the brunt of the flames.

Seeing his chance, Pī lì whipped out another burst of lightning, forcing Yǎn-sui to dive and scuttle to avoid the fatal fire. The god pressed his advantage, Yǎn-sui retreating in the face of three quick, successive lightning strikes that missed him each time by a narrower hairsbreadth. Pī lì's only chance was to keep Yǎn-sui out of swords' length, to pierce him with lightning, Wan Shi Tong saw. Pī lì's lips settled into a grim line, triumph kindling in his eyes. He slammed the point of his dao into the ground, both arms wheeling around him in deadly, graceful arcs. Yǎn-sui must have realized what was coming next, for he lowered his head and charged.

"Die!" Pī lì shrieked, unleashing two massive bolts of lightning that caught Yǎn-sui between deadly pincers of cold fire. Wan Shi Tong turned his head into his wing, momentarily blinded, certain Yǎn-sui had been reduced to ashes.

"Missed," Yǎn-sui rasped as the burning afterimage and smoke faded, his blue hide spider-webbed with hundreds of smoldering black lines where the vestigial tongues of lightning had brushed over him. Before Pī lì could recover, he caught up one of his blades and hurled it at the god like it was a spear, the point penetrating the center of the god's chest with a hollow, insignificant _thunk!_ and bursting through his back with a spurt of red fire.

The god stared at the sword jutting from his chest in disbelief, his legs fumbling backwards, his hand grasping the empty air behind him in search of his discarded dao. His fingers just brushed the red jade pommel when Yǎn-sui slammed into him, knocking him back so hard the singed point of the demon sword bit deep into the ground, pinning the god like some insect specimen on a card.

"He never stood a chance," Yǎn-sui growled, eyes burning with contempt and rage as he loomed over the transfixed god. "You killed him without giving him a chance to fight back! This is a better death than you deserve!"

"How can you be like this?!" Pī lì demanded, glaring up a Yǎn-sui in panicked rage. "I took the Fire from you! You should be nothing more than a shell!"

"Ohohoho, poor little fire god," Koh tittered, his mandibles clicking together in a nauseating parody of applause. "Don't you know that returning something to its true nature only strengthens it? Of all the slaves to cleanse of your pollution, you unfettered the killer of my beloved firstborn. For that, I thank you."

"Ha!" the god gasped, baring his teeth at Yǎn-sui, spasms of pain wracking his body as he tried to center the core of his Fire. "So, you were an executioner long before I ever was! Ah, hahaha – well, I got caught off guard, so much for my cunning!"

"Yessss…" Yǎn-sui hissed, Tiào-fěi quivering in his paw with eagerness for the kill. The demon raised the sword…

"Yǎn-sui, stop!" Agni held up his hand, and Yǎn-sui paused. "He will suffer a traitor's death, mark my words, but spare him the shame of being killed by a slave!"

"F-father…" Pī lì gasped, eyes wide and growing dim. "I'm sorry, forgive me, I never…!"

"Yǎn-sui!" Angi bellowed, crimson-gold eye fixed on the demon.

"My lord, if his sin was against you alone, I would obey," Yǎn-sui said, bowing his head. "But he murdered one who served you well, who saved my life, and whose body was desecrated, all because of his treachery!"

"Revenge is it? Against me, for that worthless lump?" Pī lì spat, sneering. "Since when does a slave's life matter against a god's?"

"When that slave was my comrade," Yǎn-sui snarled. The sword arced down, severing the god's head from his neck and burying deep into the ground. Pī lì's form wavered, then consumed itself in flames, returning him to Fire from which he had been made manifest. Agni stretched out his hand, and his son's remains flew into his palm. The god's fingers closed around the fire, absorbing it.

_"Death has rendered Judgment,"_ stated Kurma. _"The Law is satisfied."_

"Hasty, aren't we?" Koh asked in as pleasant a voice as monster can as the space reordered, bringing its occupants back to their original places. He slithered forward, his carapace scraping harsh whispers over the ground. "There is still one matter before the Law."

Yǎn-sui froze, his paws gripping Tiào-fěi's blackened, smoking hilts.

"There is?" Tui asked warily. La placed her hand on his arm in warning, though her eyes went immediately to the river goddess.

"What 'matter' do you seek to delay us with further, Koh?" Agni demanded roughly, yanking his son's dao out of the ground and slipping it into his sash next to his own weapon.

Kurma eyed Koh, but remained silent.

"Simply this," Koh purred, wiggling a single claw at Yǎn-sui, "to whom does this demon belong, now?"

Yǎn-sui was quick, but Koh had anticipated him. "Now, now, dear child, if the brothers can forget their petty squabble for a while, we should follow their example," the Face-stealer admonished over his impaled pair of limbs, the dense armor ensnaring Tiào-fěi's blades within inches of his face. Crushed in the thick coil of Koh's body, Yǎn-sui strained to free his swords until Koh yanked his head up by his mane, forcing the demon to look into his eyes. "Let it go, dear child," he murmured.

Yǎn-sui's paws slid from the sword hilts, nerveless arms thudding against Koh's carapace. "Stubborn as ever," chided Koh, discarding the appendages along with the blades and rolling another coil of his body over the lot. He set Yǎn-sui on his feet, forelimbs bracing the demon against his abdomen. "It was our arrangement that none of my precious children should exist outside the Abyss unless bound to a master, was it not?" he said to Kurma, as though there had not been a break in the conversation.

_"That was our contract,"_ the lion-turtle acknowledged after a pause. _"Those of your spawn without masters shall be hunted down and destroyed,"_ it added, as if in afterthought.

Yǎn-sui, trapped in Koh's "embrace," cast a desperate glance at Agni, but the sun god's face was a merciless alabaster mask. '_What can you expect? Even if Agni did not love his son, he is still a god whose pride drives him to wage a pointless war,'_ Wan Shi Tong thought with bitter irony. _'Y__ǎ__n-sui__, you fool!'_

"None wish to claim him?" Koh asked, peering about inquisitively. "None desire the Blue Spirit, the demon who kills gods?"

Tui snorted, folding his arms across his chest, eyes aglow with ill-concealed elation. _'After all, he's achieved a useful victory, eliminating one of his brother's best soldiers without raising a finger,'_ the spirit realized. _'And he holds a grudge just as well as Agni.'_

"Well, then, my dear child, we shall be going home tog- "

"I will be his master," the river goddess spoke up, meeting Koh's gaze without qualm.

"No, Jiān, don't…!" Yǎn-sui shouted, his voice choking in his throat with a single touch of Koh's claw.

"You?" Koh's lips peeled back from his needle-point fangs, his face once more that of demonic death mask. "But, who are you?"

_'He knows,'_ Wan Shi Tong shuddered to his core. _'He knows who she is, and the moment it's confirmed before witnesses, the Law itself…!'_

Jiān's nostrils flared. "I am Jiān of the River, as you heard," she said, gaze darting to the paralyzed demon in Koh's grasp. Yǎn-sui's eyes were wide, his mouth working frantically, soundlessly, as he tried to warn her of Koh's trap.

Wan Shi Tong sensed that the goddess knew very well what Koh was driving at, but did not particularly care. _'Like her father in more ways than one, then.'_

"Yes, that's what you told us," Koh agreed, bobbing his head and wiggling a pair of mandibles in a dismissive gesture. "But I only give my precious children over to those who will use them properly. From your testimony, I have learned that you have no intention of fighting in the War, and I doubt any of these gods would count you among their number."

"Why should they have to?" Jiān demanded. "Why should you care what happens to your chil… how a demon lives his life, so long as the Law's conditions are met?"

"Oh, but you see, little one," Koh crooned, "everyone and everything in this world serves a Purpose. That's the point of existence, of creation, of the Law. If you were to deny the Purpose for which my precious children come into the world, you might as well kill this dear child where he stands." The claw pierced Yǎn-sui's throat, blood welling up in the wound and spilling down his chest. But for a slight widening of her eyes, Jiān did not react. "And so I ask – which among these gods recognizes you? Come now, everyone, there's a contract waiting in the balance."

The trap had sprung.

_"Who here knows this goddess?"_ asked Kurma, indifferent, though it knew full well what Koh sought.

"I do not know her," Agni said, ignorant and uncaring of the Face-stealer's intentions, clearly impatient to have done with the whole matter and return to his citadel.

"Nor do I, but there are hundreds of rivers in the world," admitted Tui, though he seemed to realize there was some darker purpose behind Koh's questions. "Give up on the demon, girl," he said to Jiān. "Whatever he did for you, it's not worth the trouble of…"

"And what of you, La?" Koh lilted, flicking a long maroon tongue over his thin white lips, "Do you know who she is?"

Jiān sucked her breath in between her teeth, shoulders trembling with the effort not to look at her mother, to not betray the slightest emotion.

"I have not seen that face outside of this Judgment," La answered, skimming the razor's edge of truth.

Mocking laughter spewed from Koh's throat. "A goddess should not be so evasive, La," he admonished. "But your brothers are growing impatient, so I will ask the question properly: is she your daughter, whom you promised to me in exchange for my knowledge?"

Tui's head snapped up, mouth falling open in shock.

"Mine!" Koh shrieked, diving at the god.

"DO NOT DRAW!" La shouted at Agni, darting between Tui and Koh, throwing her veil into the monster's path. The insubstantial clouds writhed with threads of silver moonlight, solidifying in an effigy of Tui's face. Koh, frenzied with avarice, snatched it up and swallowed it.

"That," he remarked evenly, the black and silver counterfeit fading back into his original face, "was the second time you've played that trick on me, La. Too bad you can't use it to save your daughter."

"La, is she…?" Tui whispered, laying his hand on his wife's shoulder.

La's gaze drifted beyond Koh's exultant sneer to Jiān, her finger's pressed into the wound in Yǎn-sui's neck, her eyes, dark as her father's, half-expectant, half-fearful.

_"Answer, La of the Moon,"_ Kurma ordered. _"Is she who Koh says she is?"_

"Yes…" La gasped, "She is my daughter, given up for dead, because I sacrificed her for the sake of my fear!"

"Thank you, La," Koh whispered. "I know that wasn't easy for you." He turned to Jiān. "Dear child, she is coming with us."

"What are you... Yǎn-sui!" Jiān cried out as Yǎn-sui lunged and snatched her up against his chest with crushing strength. Twisting around in his grip, the goddess grabbed one of his horns, giving it a shake. "Look at me!" she demanded, "Why...?!" Yǎn-sui's blank eyes stared through her, empty of even the barest flicker of recognition. "Snap out of it!" she exclaimed in dismay, pressing a shaking hand over the curve of his browridge. "Please, Yǎn-sui!"

"You can't take her!" La shouted. "Your son! He…!"

"My beloved son was clever, but a little too clever for his own good," Koh agreed. "He should have known better than to spare his spawn just to pass his horns along. Not only did he pass along his legacy of madness, he also passed along the burden of his final task."

"You're not taking her!" La drew back her hand, silver light streaming into her palm.

"La!" It took both Agni and Tui together to restrain her.

"Don't make me lose you, too!" Tui pleaded.

_"None shall interfere, but all shall witness. Be still,"_ Kurma breathed. The space around the three gods thickened, miring La's desperate movements to break free as if she were trapped in invisible amber. _"But neither shall we aid, Face-stealer."_

"I couldn't ask for more." With one last chuckle, Koh turned away from the distraught goddess and slithered forward to claim his prize.

"Don't glare at me like that, little one," he told Jiān. "You might make a mistake and I'll have to take that pretty, painted face of yours for myself. You should be grateful that I'm letting my dear child complete his father's task, instead of destroying him here and now for his little show of rebellion earlier. Or did I misread your affections toward him?"

"You...!" Jiān gasped, struggling for some dignity against Yǎn-sui's death-grip. "I had nothing to do with your deal with my mother, and Yǎn-sui had nothing to do with your hatred for his father! You have no right to...!"

"Oh, but little one, I do," Koh said with a patronizing smile. "As unfair as it might seem to you, that's how the Law, and the world, works. My beloved son hated me of his own free will, a mistake I tried to correct in his offspring, but..." he gesticulated helplessly with several limbs, "my dear child inherited his father's delusions as well as his strength."

"Yǎn-sui doesn't have to do this," she retorted, "and I'll be damned if I go along with any of your plans!"

"From where I stand, neither of you have a choice," Koh replied calmly. "The Law is inviolable, particularly where you are concerned, little one, and my dear child's will is mine. That is how it is; better to just accept it. Unless... you truly want to set him free."

[_'I have a bad feeling about this.'_ "Is the Face-stealer lying?" Wan Shi Tong asked aside to Kurma.

The lion turtle's eyes rolled slowly in its head. _"We do not pretend to divine everything going on behind that changing face,"_ it sighed. _"But that one is never fully truthful nor dishonest."_

"And there is nothing we can do to stop it?"

One umber iris fixed on the owl. "_Do you intend to interfere, Spirit, where even these mighty gods dare not?"_ it asked.

"Of course not," Wan Shi Tong hurried to say. "But it has never been easy for me to accept the unwilling sacrifice of one for the sake of many."

_"It depends on the one,"_ Kurma intoned enigmatically.]

"What are you talking about?" Jiān demanded.

"Don't feign ignorance, little one," Koh chided. "You know why those demons attacked your humans. What ties you to my dear child will work just as well to his benefit." He leered. "But only if you truly care for h..."

Tiào-fěi, though encumbered by the weight of Koh's discarded limbs, flew across the ground in answer to their owner's summons. In a flash, Yǎn-sui tore the appendages apart and struck.

"Wha...?" Koh screamed in pain, a gout deep crimson blood gushing from his thinly armored belly.

"She's not giving her heart to anyone, Koh!" Yǎn-sui roared, leaping out of the way to avoid Koh's thrashing tail, Jiān clinging to his back like a startled hog-monkey.

_'He's broken free - Koh's miscalculated!'_ Wan Shi Tong, mindful of Kurma's injunction, restrained the urge to hoot encouragement.

As Yǎn-sui touched down, Jiān leapt from her precarious perch and drew her fingers along her arm; a slender silver wand, flexible as a willow branch and nearly long as she was tall, materialized in her hand. It took Wan Shi Tong a moment or two to realize that the goddess was manipulating her own blood. _'One uses what one can, I suppose,'_ he reflected, noticing how Tui shuddered and looked away, while La's eyes silvered with tears.

"I've had about enough of your tantrums," Koh said, drumming a few of his lower limbs on the ground as his wound sealed itself. "You know it's a lost cause, fighting me here."

Yǎn-sui snorted. "I don't suppose you'll let me take Him on myself," he said aside to Jiān, eyes locked on Koh, bloodstained blades at the ready.

"I don't like being called 'little one,' least of all by someone who's threatened to rip my face off," she replied, snapping her silver lash behind her.

"Thought not," the demon muttered as if in resignation. "We might have a chance if we cut off His head, but there will be the Abyss to pay if we can't finish Him off. Watch His tail, it..."

Said tail slammed against the ground between the pair, each leaping to one side to avoid the wicked, barbed end. Koh's face switched back to the dragon's, fangs gnashing at Jiān before the goddess could snake her lash around his head. Yǎn-sui flung himself under Koh's body as it convulsed toward him, shearing off a limb and a swath of carapace near the tail.

The Face-stealer howled and recoiled his body, his midsection catching Jiān and knocking her sidelong into the air as he dove at Yǎn-sui. The demon scrambled to avoid the snapping crimson jaws...

"Yǎn-sui, behind you!" Jiān shouted, stumbling to her feet, too late. Koh's dismembered limb slashed Yǎn-sui's back open and buried itself deep in the demon's thigh.

"_ENOUGH!_!" the dragon-head bellowed, his mangled tail slamming Yǎn-sui into the ground before he could cut himself free. The white-painted face dilated into view, scarlet mouth twitching with anger. "You will be still!"

"Guh!" Yǎn-sui spat blood and strained against the segment crushing him, stabbing what he could reach with Tiào-fěi, to little effect.

"Koh!" Jiān leapt onto the Face-stealer's back, streaking toward his head with murderous intent. Faster than lighting, Koh's body doubled over itself, crushing the goddess between two armored segments.

La strained against her bonds, mouth open in a silent scream of rage and despair.

"I didn't want to have to harm either of you, least of all her," Koh told Yǎn-sui, catching the demon's neck between a limb and the barb of his tail before he could rise. "Look at you," he spat, wrenching Yǎn-sui into the air and dangling him before his face. "The gods have abandoned you, Yǎn-sui, stripped you of the one chance you had of killing me (oh, yes, I know all about that cold fire on the river). You can barely cling to your father's horns, and yet you try to defy my will. Do you think your freedom can be found in your self-destruction?"

Yǎn-sui gasped, struggled, his wounds healing, but not fast enough, not nearly fast enough...!

"There is but one way for you to defeat me now," Koh whispered, bringing his lips next to Yǎn-sui's ear. "You know what it is. Claim the goddess, deny me her power, take her for yourself, consume her... defeat me and prove that you are my successor."

The demon's eyes went wide. "Wh-what…!"

Koh chuckled. "What option is there? The Balance must be maintained: existence needs Chaos as much as it needs Order. Why do you think I suffered you to live, why do you think I came to this place and submitted myself to the tyranny of the Law? Did you really think you had concealed your rebellion all this time?"

"I... will not... become what you are!" Yǎn-sui snarled.

"Oh no, dear child – I foresee that you will become more, much more." Koh lowered Yǎn-sui to the ground, his tail within easy striking distance of the back of Yǎn-sui's skull. The endless segmented length of the Face-stealer coiled about them, depositing the goddess beside Yǎn-sui. "Claim what you've sought all your life, and take the power that will set you free, my dear child."

"You can't make him do that!" Jiān snapped, moving between Yǎn-sui and Koh's gloating face. "He doesn't have to! He's _already_ free!"

"Your optimism is endearing but misplaced, little one," Koh chided. "Can't you see how much he's fighting, even now, to move against what I will? How long do you think he can keep it up before he succumbs once more?"

"As long as I need to, Koh!" Yǎn-sui shouted through bared fangs, but anyone could see that Tiào-fěi hung limp in his paralyzed paws.

Jiān paused, the silvery blood-lash twitching in her hand. "Then I will go with him, willingly."

"What?" Yǎn-sui asked.

"What?" Wan Shi Tong hooted.

"What?!" La demanded.

"Oh ho?" Koh inclined his head inquisitively. "So, you're giving him your heart after all?"

"No, not the way you intend," said Jiān, drawing her shoulders back. "I'm going with him. Away from _here._ We are leaving this place, _together_, and there's nothing you can do about it."

"You are misguided to think that you can escape what Law has decreed, little one," Koh retorted, eyes narrowed in irritation.

"But I'm not," Jiān demurred. "The Law decreed that my mother exchanged me for knowledge. You might have provided the knowledge, but it was your son who claimed me in your name. You said it yourself, Yǎn-sui inherited not only your will, but his father's as well, and your will and his is one and the same!" She very nearly made the mistake of smirking. "If I go with him, I fulfill what Law requires."

_'Like a dragon swallowing his tail, that bit of reasoning,' _assessed Wan Shi Tong, more than a little incredulous. _'Even Zhāng-nán didn't put his faith in a convenient interpretation of the Law.'_

_"The Face-stealer has claimed before us that his will is the demon's,"_ Kurma uttered, surprising the owl. _ "Therefore, what the demon wills, so does the Face-stealer. Should the goddess elect to go with the demon, we shall be satisfied."_

"You can't…!" Koh hissed, enraged.

"_We have made our judgment,"_ interrupted the lion turtle.

For all of her earlier confidence, the goddess did not seem ready to believe just yet. Her hand sought Yǎn-sui's paw, the demon even more dazed than she about the sudden turn of events. "Then, we can leave?" she asked.

"_The Judgment for which we have been summoned her has concluded,"_ pronounced Kurma. _"The consequences of your actions beyond the sanction of our Judgment shall be met outside of this place. Stand aside, Koh."_

"Don't think you've escaped, little one," Koh murmured, slithering the coils of his body behind his trunk as Jiān touched her forehead to Yǎn-sui's chest. The demon started and, as if on instinct, wrapped his arms around her, embracing her without regard for Koh, the spirits, or the gods. "If you leave here, my spawn will always pursue you!" spat the furious Face-stealer. "No God or Spirit will aid you! No matter where you go, I will destroy everything around you, everything you care about!"

"You can try, Koh," Jiān said, taking Yǎn-sui by the paw and turning her back on Koh. "But you won't succeed."

"Yǎn-sui." The demon's shoulders stiffened as the cold hiss wormed up his back. "He wasn't the last of your spawn."

Yǎn-sui whirled, staring into pink eyes of the blanched demonic skull.

"How many more will you slaughter? How many more, until you falter?" it pressed. "Without consuming her power, making it yours, you will never defeat me, you will never be rid of me. You are without divine protection. You and she will be hunted until you die. Your will is strong now, but how long can you withstand me, how long can you hold out against me? One day…" the lipless mouth stretched in a hideous grin, "one day, someone will say my name, and she will be mine."

"Yǎn-sui?" Jiān asked as the demon's paw slid from her hand.

"What will you do, dear child?" Koh hummed.

"Yǎn-sui, you don't have to listen to him!" Jiān pulled on Yǎn-sui's arm, the demon mesmerized by the death's-head. "Come on, we're getting out of he…!"

"I'm sorry," he breathed, clutching her to him as though clinging to a scrap of wood in a storming ocean. "I…"

"Yǎn-sui…?"

"By my being, by my will," Yǎn-sui chanted, reeling away from the bewildered goddess, "in the name of Koh, Shadowking of the Abyss, the Being of Chaos Incarnate, Enemy of the Gods, the Face-stealer and Lord of Demons…"

"No…!" Wan Shi Tong gasped. _'You're so close! Why give in __**now**__?!'_

"… before these witnesses and the Law, I _reject_ all claim to Jiān, daughter of La. In the name of Koh, I surrender horn and blood, being and will, Life and Death, to her and her alone."

Tiào-fěi's blades flashed. Yǎn-sui's ivory horns tumbled to the ground, twin hollow notes of bone against stone

"_STOP!_" Jiān shouted, grabbing for Yǎn-sui's arm.

Without hesitation, the demon reversed his grip on the hilts and drove the swords through his chest and stomach.

Were it not for the blood streaming down the crimson and gold hilts, trickling and staining the ground like so many heavy raindrops, Wan Shi Tong would have refused to believe what had just happened.

Slowly, obscenely slow, Yǎn-sui toppled to the ground.

"No. No, no, no, no, nonononono, _Y__ǎ__n-sui__, don't…!"_ Jiān braced her shoulder under Yǎn-sui's arm, but his weight dragged them both down to their knees. "I'm going to stop it!" she told him, ferociously calm, blood-coated white hands trembling as she wove her fingers around the lethal blades, pressing them into the fatal wounds. "Come on! _Come on!_" she half-screamed, tearing open the back of her hand with her teeth and forcing her silver-lit blood into him for lack of any other water. "Don't die, I'm not letting you die, come on…!"

"Jiān…" With stubborn strength, he pulled her hands away from his ruined torso, lifting his heavy head from her shoulder to fix her with darkening yellow eyes, resting his forehead against hers. "Listen… to me… please…"

What passed between them defied even Wan Shi Tong's keen hearing. But the owl could not help but notice the way the demon's fingers, dripping with his own blood, traced over the goddess's shoulders, chest, and face, tender, but with purpose intensified by encroaching death.

Jiān uttered a choked sob, head bowing as the demon's voice caught in his throat.

"No… regret… chose…!" Yǎn-sui gasped, cradling Jiān's face between his paws. With deliberate care, his bloodied lips enfolded hers, once, twice…

With a sigh, Yǎn-sui closed his eyes and died.

"What a foolish child," Koh muttered, shattering the stillness. "Such a wasteful, melodramatic gesture. I was wrong to consider him for my successor, even if he did end up saving me some time and effort."

Jiān, face hidden against Yǎn-sui's chest, stirred.

"It seems your gamble has been ruined by my child's stupidity, little one," continued the Face-stealer, writhing toward the kneeling pair of figures, encircling them within the coils of his monstrous body. "Try not to hold that against him. However, the farce has played out, and you're coming with me. Spare your mother and yourself any further torment with another futile display of…"

"_HAAAAAAAAAAAA-__**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH**__~!_"

Crimson-stained sliver blades carved through the black armored carapace and Jiān's ghostly white form burst free in a flurry of blood.

"_**WHAT?!**_" Koh shrieked, hurling what was left of his severed body at the goddess…

… only to stop short as she whirled to face him, Tiào-fěi at the ready.

"Ho?" Koh gaped, rage surrendering to shock, then, to Wan Shi Tong's confusion, glee. "Ha. !" the Face-stealer roared. "Well played, Last! Well played! You should have succeeded me after all."

"Don't call him that!" Jiān spat. "I'm going to finish you, once and for all!"

"No, I don't think you will, little one, or you have killed me with the first strike," Koh replied with a dismissive flick of limbs. "Those Signs my precious child painted on you only go so far. You might have ownership of my dear spawns' horns and the shield of your dead lover's life, you might even have the authority to reject me and compel the obedience of my darling children, but you have no power over _me_!"

Without warning, he lunged past Jiān, claws sweeping up Yǎn-sui's corpse, raising it to his face…

"No!"

"Don't think you can deny me what's mine twice in the same day, little one," Koh's voice retorted through Yǎn-sui's lips. The demon's face grinned at the horror-stricken goddess, his body dropping to the ground in an undignified heap. "No stomach for killing, now that I wear your lover's appearance? Ah, well… live, knowing he was more willing to die for a chance to stop me than live in order to love you." His gaze traveled to Kurma. "Horn and blood, life and death are hers," he declared. "I claim his flesh and place, as is my right. What this goddess has carved out of my body demands it!"

"_So be it,"_ rumbled Kurma. _"Enter the world you seek to suborn, if that is your desired recompense."_

"My lord, what are you…?!" Wan Shi Tong exclaimed.

"How can you allow that?" bellowed Tui. "Can't you see that if you…?!"

The lion turtle ignored them. _"Know that you enter that world with our prohibitions upon you. Should you act in violation of the Law…"_

"Thanks for the warning," Koh hissed, "but don't worry." With a flick of his cloven body, a new barbed tail shot out of his remaining length, glistening with blood. His other wounds fused together; not a single mark marred his dark carapace. "The armies of the Gods are as good as mine. Chaos shall inherit the world and the endless cycle of your tyranny will be shattered, once and for all."

Shooting one last contemptuous sneer at the gods, Koh sank into the ground and vanished from the place.

"_The Face-stealer has paid dearly for his admittance into our world,"_ Kurma said, dissolving its hold over the three sibling gods. It nodded its head at the hideous, already-decaying bulk of mutilated torso and tail Koh had left behind. _ "He has divided himself into three parts: one remains in the Abyss, beyond our reach and his. A smaller part, perhaps a tenth of his former being, proceeds into our world as we speak."_

"Why did you let him go?!" A mountain spirit would be intimidated if challenged by such blood-drenched demon swords and livid, crimson-painted features as Jiān's, assessed Wan Shi Tong, but Kurma was unmoved.

"Daughter!" La cautioned. She had but to reach out and she would touch Jiān's shoulder, but she did not. "The Law has spoken; there is nothing to be gained in defying…"

"So, I'm just supposed to nod my head, bite my tongue, and let Koh run amok?" Jiān demanded, whirling around. La recoiled at the demonic Signs. "After everything Yǎn-sui did to stop him?"

"The demon acted in the interests of his true master, freeing him," Tui asserted. He glanced askance at the blood marks. "His resistance, his suicide… a shadow-play, nothing more. That he _dared_ to mark my daughter with his foul blood… he was lucky to die by his own hand."

"You didn't even know I was your daughter until today," Jiān bit back, struggling to control her anger as Tio-fei's hilts creaked in her grasp. "You didn't know Yǎn-sui at all! Don't act like…!" Disgusted, she turned from Tui and La, only to collide with Agni.

"Your quarrel with your offspring can wait, brother," said the sun god after leveling a fiery glare at Jiān. "It is clear what must be done. We must find Koh and eliminate him, before he has a chance to enact his twisted schemes."

"Oh?" Tui drawled, bridling at Agni's superior tone. "Are you claiming to have insight into these 'schemes' of his?"

"He made no effort to hide it," snapped Agni. "He's gone to raise his children in rebellion against us."

"… Then we have no time to lose," said Tui in a cold, quiet voice.

"I always knew this day would come," murmured Agni, accusation implicit.

"She was caught up in it," La interrupted, before Tui could respond, "by no fault of her own. If you wish to assign blame, brother, look at me, but leave my daughter out of this."

"Very well." The sun god looked down at Jiān, a multitude of emotions flitting over his hard, pale face. "All the same, _I_ would never have allowed my daughter to fall so neatly into the enemy's trap."

Tiào-fěi clinked, straining to tear itself from Jiān's hands. For a moment, Wan Shi Tong wondered if the goddess would permit Zhāng-nán to fly at the sun god, but Jiān restrained her blades. "It is, always was, my sincere hope that the gods would stop their needless bickering if they had to," she stated, looking at Agni, Tui, and La in turn. "Now that Koh has been allowed to escape, you still fight each other!" Without irony, she saluted the brother gods with Tiào-fěi. "All I ask is, if you are not going to help me, that you do not get in the way of my killing Koh."

"_Seek Koh out at your own peril, goddess,"_ warned Kurma, startling the divinities, as if they had forgotten it was there, _"for by your actions, by your own volition and by the marks the demon has writ upon you, you and the Face-stealer are bound, mirror and shadow to each other."_

"What?" demanded La in horror and disbelief, but Kurma's pronouncement rolled on, remorseless, leaden.

"_You have bound him, and so shall you be bound,"_ it told Jiān. "_You have reduced him, and so shall you be reduced. As you exist, so must he, divinity mired in Chaos, Chaos inextricable from divine."_

"You spoke of 'consequences' in attacking Koh," Jiān said, eerily calm as she met the lion turtle's inscrutable gaze. "Is this what you meant?"

"_Yes."_

She cracked a bitter smile, grip flexing on Tiào-fěi's hilts. "And if I were to disregard your warning?"

Kurma sighed. "_The day shall come when you, giving into despair, shall seek him out, but only to your mutual destruction. Upon that day, the Gate will shatter, and his true power will be unleashed to consume the world. Victory or defeat, preservation or destruction, lies with you. Beyond that, we cannot know."_

Agni drew his dao, searing white flames dancing up and down the blade. "If she is the key to freeing Koh from the Abyss," he said, suddenly standing behind Jiān, "then she must not be permitted to exist."

Jiān side-stepped his strike, sweeping Tiào-fěi into the path of the descending blade. The sun god's dao shattered on the demon horn, leaving nothing but a crumpled hilt. Before Agni could think to draw his son's dao, arcs of liquid silver knocked him back, pinning his arms to his sides.

"No one touches my daughter," La informed him with icy composure, wan illumination gathering and sharpening in her palm.

"… As you wish, my lady," Agni conceded after a long, wary moment. La dissolved the bonds, but the pale light in her hand remained. "Let us not tarry further. We must not let Koh make good on his threat. Brother…"

Tui narrowed his dark eyes at Agni, centuries of bitter feud telling in his reluctance. "For this, our differences can wait," he said at last, stretching out his hand. Agni clasped his hand around his brother's wrist, their faces mirroring the same ferocious grin.

"Nothing short of annihilation," said Agni.

"Koh will curse the day he thought to turn his spawn against us," agreed Tui.

The brother gods vanished.

"Mother, what is it they're going to do?" Jiān asked in a horrified whisper.

La tilted her head, her gaze flitting over Tiào-fěi; she had yet to betray any sign she recognized the blades for what they were. "I fear you already know, daughter."

"They will slaughter the demons, Koh's children, all to prevent against the chance that Koh might suborn them," answered Jiān, more to herself than to La. "Everything we did here… everything Yǎn-sui tried to save…" She turned away, tripping across the space to where Yǎn-sui's faceless corpse lay, Tiào-fěi flung heedlessly amidst Koh's remains as she pulled the body free, blood still streaming from many wounds. Once clear of the stinking wreckage, she collapsed beside him, arms entwined around his hornless head, burying her face in his black mane.

"Nothing so cruel as Fate, but nevertheless…" La looked up at Kurma, dispassionate as stone. "My brothers will not pay heed, even if I should warn them of the consequences of their chosen path?"

_"It is theirs to act of their free will, and to suffer the consequence. The Age of Spirits shall end, one way or another,"_ it replied. _"Do as you see fit, La of the Moon."_

"My lord," she said, bowing her head. She looked once more at Jiān, bowed over the desecrated body of her lover, and closed her eyes. "Am I cruel as well, to rejoice that she still lives?" she mused.

The moon withdrew, and the place became dark.

_ "We, too, shall depart," _said Kurma, its vastness dissolving into the ether. _"Fare well upon the uncertain road ahead, Spirit of Knowledge."_

'_Better a vague warning than none at all, I suppose,' _Wan Shi Tong sighed to himself, alone now with the goddess and the dead. Possessed by an odd notion of sympathy, the owl glided over to Koh's mangled carcass. Rooting through the mess with his claws, he found Yǎn-sui's shorn horns, blackening blood tarnishing the ivory.

The remnants of Yǎn-sui's presence stirred in recognition, only to subside; Wan Shi Tong did not take it personally. "My lady," he said, balancing the horns on the wingtip he extended toward the goddess, "it does no good to dwell here."

Her first response was to embrace Yǎn-sui's body even more tightly, but, just as Wan Shi Tong was searching for something remotely sensible to say, Jiān looked up at him in quiet resignation. "You should know, he had a deep respect for you, Master Wan Shi Tong," she said, fingers still twined in the demon's mane. "We would have… at least, I wanted to…" For a brief moment, grief seized her, contorting the painted crimson stripes and whorls that bound her as much to her lover as to her mortal enemy. Without a word, she took the proffered relics, cradling them to her chest.

"Whatever comes to pass," said Wan Shi Tong, "he will be with you, no matter what Koh said." It was not his place to provide comfort, only knowledge.

Carefully, Jiān lowered Yǎn-sui's body to the ground and took up Tiào-fěi, tying Yǎn-sui's horns to its hilts with the frayed silken cords still dangling from its pommels. "Thank you," she said, the deep sorrow in her eyes softened by an ethereal smile. "If I may, I would like to see your library, and prepare for what the future might bring."

Wan Shi Tong bowed. "The Spirit Library is open to any and all who ask…"

* * *

_"… What knowledge I could provide, she gladly accepted, but eventually, she returned to her island. Though diminished by the consequences of striking down Koh, she was determined to protect the one place she considered home," remembered Wan Shi Tong. "As for the gods and their War... it would be too simple to say that Koh united the brothers; rather, it was the fear he planted in them that inspired their truce." His tone hardened. "And because of that fear, the gods compounded their ignorance and arrogance, falling upon the demons who had served them without wavering, annihilating them. _

"_It is clear to me now that Koh never intended to raise his children in rebellion; it was enough for the gods to wreak a slaughter beyond the pale that would, by virtue of the very Law they embodied, demand a terrible consequence._

_ "And so it was that the gods were diminished by their crime. Just as Koh predicted, Man inherited the mortal world. But the gods would not quietly fade away, and so they bequeathed the Avatar, the last foothold, the bridgehead that tied the Spirit World to the world ceded to humankind. _

_ "As for Jiān, the Painted Lady, and Y__ǎ__n-sui__, the Blue Spirit: should the day come that the bridge between worlds falters or is lost, they will not rest much longer on that island of mist..."_

--- **END** ---

* * *

**A/N: **This is the longest fanfic project I've ever taken up (2+ years!), and even though _this_ story is over, I have so many ideas for a continuing series that I can can say with utmost certainty that this isn't the last you've heard from Wan Shi Tong, the Spirit Library, the Painted Lady, or even the Blue Spirit.

Many thank to everyone who read this story, and for those who left their reviews - I'm happy to have entertained you, and honored to have an audience.

Salute!

- The Narrator


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